Growing Pains
by PrancingTiger86
Summary: The Autobots knew that when the first sparkling arrived in the world, it wasn't going to be easy rearing him. One shots that revolve around Bluestreak and his life growing up amongst the Autobots. Multiple 'verses. Completely AU
1. Of Younglings and Crabs

**Title:** Of Younglings and crabs

**Rating:** K

**Universe:** Movie 07/09 verse (AU)

**Characters: **Barricade, youngling Bluestreak, brief appearance by Prowl, mention of Jazz and others

**Pairings:** Hinted ProwlxJazz

**Warnings:** Fluff, lots of. **May hint at a slight spoiler for an upcoming chapter of Renascentia**

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition.

**Summary: **Barricade learns that life is never boring upon the Autobot base when a certain youngling is involved.

_**:/Blah\: - Bond Communication**_

Okay I really have no explanation for this at all, none what so ever except that the plot bunny jumped out of nowhere and attacked, demanding that I write a few drabbles. I will *drops to her knees* get the next chap of Renascentia up soon, its almost finished, almost being ¾ of the way there *heads desk*. These drabbles can be read as a companion piece to the multi-chap fic I'm writing or on their own.

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Barricade hated being idle, he was one of those that preferred to be on the constant move. However since his defection to the Autobots a few years back, his erratic movements had slowed down to the point where he found himself completely and utterly bored. That was until Bluestreak, the first terran sparkling to be born, learnt how to walk. The infant was adventurous, an inherent trait he had gotten from Jazz, that kept his parents, his guardians and his caretakers busy by watching him closely. They had only ever lost sight of him once when the sparkling just turned youngling disappeared from Skyfire's care which led to a frantic search of the base for the small Cybertronian infant. It turned out that Bluestreak hadn't left the lab at all, but had trotted over to one of the corners with his stuffed toy, slipped behind one of the cabinets and fallen into recharge. The old Veritech had been frazzled beyond relief, but both Prowl and Jazz reassured Skyfire that Bluestreak had a habit of slipping into confined spaces and going to sleep in them. It was after that incident that Red Alert demanded that the sensors be upgraded so they weren't wasting valuable resources in tracking down one youngling.

Barricade chuckled as he recalled that particular incident, both his brother and the Autobot's saboteur had glared at the security director whilst Bluestreak had simply become more upset about causing so much trouble. Optimus had luckily stepped in and asked Red Alert to apologise to the youngling for implying that he was a trouble maker and not worthy of their time, the security director had wanted to protest but none the less swallowed his pride and apologised to the small mechlet. The Prime had then taken Bluestreak into his arms and asked the youngling as gently as he could about telling the adults where he was going before he actually disappeared, the youngling had agreed before tucking himself into the large mech's chassis, chirping timidly until he was taken by one of his creators.

Barricade understood that the little grey mechlet often felt suffocated by his caretakers, not too mention being stuck inside of the base a large percentage of the time. So the shock trooper had brought Bluestreak out to the long stretch of beach opposite the base so he could run around without restraint of where he could and could not go. Ratchet had given the Mustang explicit instructions that the youngling was to seek shelter every twenty minutes so his internals didn't get overheated, since the mechlet's thermoregulator wasn't as advanced as theirs. That and he really didn't want to treat Bluestreak for 'sun stroke' again, an accident on Bumblebee's behalf a few weeks prior. The scout had been mortified when the youngling became sick not long after spending time out in the sun, but the medic quickly assured him the mechlet would be fine and neither Jazz nor Prowl blamed him.

The shock trooper glanced out from where he was sat in the shade of the palm trees in the direction he had seen Bluestreak playing in the sand, his brother and his mate were going to hate him later when he handed the youngling back to them. After all he knew how tedious it could be in trying to get sand out from under plating and out of joints. So he had brought a tarp he had 'commandeered' to sit on, his earlier efforts in trying to demolish a palm tree for its leaves had earned him a telling off from Bluestreak. The youngling very much reminded him of Prowl in that respect as the same scowl that adorned his younger brother's facial plates when he was reprimanding someone, appeared upon the youngling's facial plates. Even his sensory panels rose upwards and formed the graceful 'V' which definitely showed that the little grey mechlet was his father's son.

Barricade was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard Bluestreak's terrified scream, immediately all of his defence systems (the ones he was allowed to have) came on-line. The black and white mech pushed himself up onto his pedes and rushed out from under the shade, the heat of the afternoon sun instantly hit his plating. But he wasn't concerned about the uncomfortable warmth upon his armour, he was more focused upon rescuing Bluestreak from harm. He extended his sensors out to their limits scanning the skies above for any sign of trouble. The shock trooper spotted the terrified youngling running towards him so he quickened his pace, the ex-Decepticon intercepted the grey mechlet and swung him up into his arms, cradling him close to his chassis.

Bluestreak tried to compose himself but he had seriously been spooked and couldn't help the sparkling like warbles and clicks escaping his vocaliser. Barricade scanned the beach critically with both his optics and his sensors, however he couldn't detect anything that could have upset the youngling until his sensors detected the presence of a creature in the same vicinity as where Bluestreak had been playing. The shock trooper made his way over whilst ignoring the distressed whimpers of his charge, in a moment of uncharacteristic behaviour, the ex-'con sent as much comfort and reassurance through the bond that he normally kept closed until he felt the youngling's trembling subside a little.

"So that's what scared you little one." The Mustang rumbled when he spotted the arthropod occupying the space the little grey mechlet had been sitting in previously, sunning itself. A quick search on the humans internet identified the creature as a Coconut Crab or Birgus Latro if one wanted to be technical, Barricade frowned as it was unusual for this species to be out during the daylight unless Bluestreak had accidentally disturbed its hiding place or the creature had been attracted to the shine from the youngling's derma-plating. Normally he would have shot the crustacean by now for being nothing more than a nuisance, but the creature was protected out here. Not that anyone would know better if he did kill it, however for Bluestreak's sake he would leave it alone, unless of course it threatened the youngling in any way with its large claws.

"What is it uncle 'Cade?" The little grey mechlet inquired as he braved looking at the creature that had scared him when it had appeared out from between some rocks not far from where he had been playing.

"A proverbial nuisance." Barricade replied as he deactivated his weapons systems and began moving back toward the shade where he set Bluestreak down upon the tarp, however the youngling quickly latched onto him the moment he was sat down and settled against the palm tree.

During the course of the afternoon Bluestreak finally worked up the courage to leave the company of his caretaker and sat down but a couple of metres away in order to resume his playing in the sand. The shock trooper managed to draw him away from his sand sculpting to take in his third energon ration, but only on the terms that Bluestreak was allowed to bury him. Barricade had been none too pleased with the idea, however he was finding it really hard to deny the youngling his request when the kicked turbo-puppy look appeared upon his facial plates. Finally after being buried under the sand for a couple of hours then having to spend time in the sea to get rid of most of it, Barricade made his way back up the beach with an exhausted youngling trudging behind him. The mustang tucked the tarp that had been left unused for most of the afternoon, unceremoniously into his sub-space, Bluestreak then promptly collapsed against the larger mech as his wearied legs refused to hold him up any longer. The shock trooper picked Bluestreak up and settled him on his hip before he began making his way back to the base, and just in the nick of time as a couple of Coconut Crabs scuttled out from their hiding places and onto the beach.

When Barricade reached the base, he spotted the familiar black and white frame of his younger brother stood waiting just inside the underground bunker that housed the base. Prowl made his way over when he noticed that his creation was tucked into his brother's chassis, deep in recharge.

_**:/How's it go today?\: **_The tactician inquired through their sibling bond, a feat the ex-'con was still getting used too.

_**:/Fine, although he was spooked by the local wildlife.\: **_The shock trooper replied as he handed the slumbering youngling over to his brother. Prowl raised a single optic ridge at that as he settled Bluestreak in his arms _**:/I'll let Bluestreak tell you all about it.\:**_

_**:/Very well.\: **_The Dodge Charger said as he turned to head into the underground base _**:/night brother.\: **_Barricade grunted a response before he felt another presence brush against his spark, this one sleepy but content.

_**:/Night uncle 'Cade.\: **_He heard his nephew say to him through the bond.

A small smile threatened to tug at the corner of his lip components _**:/Night little one.\:**_ Then a small finally formed when he felt the love the youngling was transmitting through the bond so he answered back before the link went quiet. Now Barricade didn't mind sitting idle as long as he could watch over Bluestreak to make sure no harm would ever come to him.

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**A/N: **Yep I still don't have an explanation and I have others planned too, next Of Sparklings and Tacticians.

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	2. Of Sparklings and Tacticians

**Title:** Of Sparklings and Tacticians

**Rating:** K

**Universe:** Movie 07/09 verse (AU)

**Characters:** Prowl, sparkling Bluestreak, brief appearance made by Jazz

**Pairing:** ProwlxJazz

**Warnings:** Lots of fluff again lol

**Summary: **A certain sparkling unwittingly plots against his Sire to draw him away from his work.

**Disclaimer**: Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition.

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The Autobot's second in command once had a strict regime when it came to his work and duty before and after the war had begun. Many a time in the past, he would often have Ratchet's ire directed at him for missing out on recharge or refuelling just so he could always remain one report ahead. That pattern had only faltered slightly when he become involved in a romantic relationship with Jazz. The saboteur already had a habit of dropping by his office unannounced and for no apparent reason, the daily visits or intrusions as Prowl liked to label them, became much more frequent when they had become lovers then subsequently spark-mates on Earth. The tactician knew the 'distractions' his now mate had provided was to make sure that he didn't work himself into deactivation. However there had been a few times where Prowl had threatened Jazz with brig time just so he could get some work done. But in the recent months that strict regime had been changed dramatically since the birth of his first born. At first Prowl was able to get on with his reports when he wanted to whilst the new born infant was in recharge, only needing to put down his work when Bluestreak was awake, unless of course his mate was available to see to him. But as the sparkling began to grow and become more alert, he had to place his work as a second priority especially once Bluestreak had learnt to crawl.

A chuckle escaped Prowl when he recalled the instant it had happened. He had been in the wash rack that morning before he headed for duty when he heard Jazz frantically calling his name. Concerned that there was something wrong, the tactician had raced out of the wash rack trailing soap and water in his wake, only for his optics to fall upon the giddy form of the saboteur before he spotted their creation crawling across the expanse of floor in their living room. A wide smile had taken over his facial plates then as he watched Bluestreak happily clicking and chirping as he crawled before the little grey infant plopped down onto his aft and began warbling excitedly to the pair of them. The Dodge Charger remembered that it had been a few hectic days as they raced to move anything valuable or harmful up out of their growing sparkling's reach. And now Bluestreak was entering the next steps of his development, the sparkling was beginning to use the edges of furniture (or his parents or caretakers lower legs if they were in reach) to pull himself up onto his pedes. The first couple of times saw the infant collapse back down onto his backside, but Bluestreak was determined and kept at it until he was finally able to shuffle a few steps on his pedes before lowering himself to the floor a little more gracefully; task accomplished until next time.

Which was exactly what Bluestreak was up to today as he edged around the small table, clicking and warbling to himself. Prowl had already lost count how many times he had to shift his bulk or offer a hand so the sparkling could move about freely, he constantly watched him out of the corner of his optics to make sure the infant didn't run into trouble. However the tactician found himself becoming immersed in the report he was reading that he missed his creation loosing his balance and swiftly latching onto one of Prowl's door wings closest to him. A small cry of surprise made its way out of his vocaliser when he felt a sharp tug on the sensitive appendage, the tactician dropped the data-pad he had been reading to reach round in order to dislodge Bluestreak's surprisingly strong grip upon his door wing. Prowl bit back the cry of pain that wanted to escape his vocaliser when his sparkling's legs refused to hold him upright any longer and the little one collapsed to the floor dragging the wing down further with him. However the Dodge Charger found himself in another predicament as he tried to dislodge his back appendage, Bluestreak had gotten himself wedged between the couch and the small table and with no space for him to turn himself around, the sparkling was trying to use the door wing to set himself right again. Prowl managed to turn himself around sideways ignoring the the strain being put on the joint of the appendage and successfully managed to at least pry the little one's fingers loose and transfer his hold to the edge of the couch instead.

The tactician got up onto his knees and gently rotated the joint in its socket checking to make sure his creation hadn't dislocated it when he pulled upon it. It appeared he had gotten lucky this time as only the muscle cables and lines had been strained, but what had amazed him more than anything was that Bluestreak had not stopped his ceaseless chatter of clicks, coos and warbles the entire time. Prowl watched from his newly seated position as the sparkling shuffled along the edge, the little sensory panels upon his back fluttering happily. He knew that when his creation took his first tentative steps away from the furniture, he would have to learn to press the developing panels to his back which the tactician knew he would have to teach him when the time came. But for now he would just settle for watching his son who had now reached the edge of the couch and was trying to grasp another piece of furniture to continue on with his trek, however he was simply too far away from anything to grasp hold of. Unable to move forwards without help, unhappy whimpers began to escape Bluestreak, the tactician pushed himself up onto his pedes forgoing any reports for his creation. He stepped up behind the sparkling and leant over slipping one of his index fingers into one of Bluestreak's diminutive hands before repeating the same with the other. The black and white mech then gently steered the infant away from the couch and encouraged him to take a step forward. Ecstatic at his new found freedom, the sparkling began cooing and clicking excitedly as he led his father around the living space.

Prowl knew he would pay for all of this later, but he couldn't care less as his son was happy wandering around aimlessly without being confined to the furniture. They made numerous laps around the living room, not too mention the two bedrooms and the wash rack, in fact it was on the sixth or seventh time of 'visiting' the wash rack when Jazz stepped into the room. He stopped instantly in his tracks and a large smile over threw his facial plates at the sight of his mate helping their creation plod around the room. The saboteur stayed where he was watching the pair until the chuckle that escaped him drew Bluestreak's attention. The sparkling squealed in delight when he saw his spark carrier and abruptly turned in his father's grasp, nearly upsetting his already precarious balance.

"Hey Blue." Jazz greeted the infant as he knelt down and held his arms out. Once they were in range, Prowl held Bluestreak's arms out in front of him instead of above him and watched as the sparkling let go of his fingers to latch onto his mate's. The Solstice swept his creation up, tossing his small frame up into the air and catching him which earned him a round of beautiful laughter from the infant. The saboteur nuzzled his nose plates against his son's before he glanced at his bond-mate "have fun whilst I was gone?" Jazz chuckled when Bluestreak appeared to be telling him about his adventures quite animatedly.

Prowl shot his mate a smile as he leant down to retrieve the data-pads he had discarded "I believe we managed to thoroughly map out our quarters."

The saboteur set the little mechlet down upon the ground when Bluestreak wiggled to get down "He wasn't too much trouble?"

"Not in the slightest." The tactician replied as he sub-spaced his data-pads and sat down upon the couch, his optics never leaving the crawling form of his offspring.

"That's good ta hear." The Solstice said as he moved across the room and sat down beside his bond-mate, he slouched back in his seat and off-lined his optics. However he quickly on-lined them again when he felt a pressure upon his lap, he chuckled when he saw Prowl's helm occupying his lap whilst the rest of his frame took up the rest of the couch. Jazz shifted his bulk slightly so he could rest his head upon the tactician's side so the pair of them could relish in their close proximity to one another. However their attention was fully upon the beautiful life they had created as he let go of the piece of furniture he had crawled up to and pulled himself up with, so he could take his first glorious and tentative first steps before collapsing down onto his aft a few steps away. The bonded pair glanced at one another, pride and joy swelling in their sparks at the sight before they glanced across the room again. It had been a new task for Bluestreak to accomplish and with the determination his parents knew he had, he would be walking in next to no time.

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A/N: another one shot completed *bats away the fluff plot bunny* Next one will be: Of Sparklings and Twins – he he take a guess at the carnage that could ensue

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	3. Of Sparklings and Twins

**Title**: Of Sparklings and Twins

**Rating**: K+

**Universe**: Movie 07/09 verse (AU)

**Pairings**: Jazz x Prowl

**Warnings**: use of profanities, fluff, mention of smut between male characters

**Summary**: In order to have some alone time with Prowl, Jazz decides to call in a favour with the twins however Sunstreaker and Sideswipe quickly discover looking after Bluestreak is not as easy as some mechs make it out to be.

_**:://Blah\\:: Bond communication**_

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and added this to their story favs and alerts, you guys are awesome! So here's the next one that turned out longer than the previous two.

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"The universe hates me." Prowl stated as he unlocked the door to his office. His door wings drooped to the point where they were almost resting flat against his back as he took in the pile of data-pads sat upon the pristine surface of his desk awaiting his attention. Jazz glanced around his bond-mate and also took in the sight of the paperwork that needed seeing too and vented a sigh out of his intakes. The impending reports could very well take his bond-mate all day and very well stretch into the night, which would mean that neither he or Bluestreak would see him before they fell into recharge. Speaking of said sparkling Jazz shifted him in his arms and settled him into the crook of his left elbow hoping not to disturb the little grey infant from his morning nap.

The Dodge Charger reluctantly stepped into his office and made his way round the desk to his seat, he flopped unceremoniously into his chair and vented a deep sigh. Jazz shot his mate a sympathetic glance, he didn't envy him in the slightest as the one thing he hated the most was paperwork. Despite the idea of being stuck in the office all day with nothing but data-pads to stare at (well except his bond-mate of course), the saboteur decided he would go to his own office, grab whatever work awaited him there and come back here and provide Prowl with a little 'motivation' to get his work done quicker. But first he had a certain sparkling he needed to drop off first to his guardians. The Solstice heard his spark-mate grumble about a certain security director and his overly paranoid nature as he left the tactician's office and headed in the direction of the recreation room where he knew he was likely to find the twins, unless of course one or both were indulging in a few more minutes of recharge or in the wash rack in Sunstreaker's case since they had the day off.

Normally Bluestreak would be with Mirage and Hound on the fourth day of every week, but when Prowl discovered that the twins had today off when he checked the duty rosters, he had made the call and happily informed the twins that they would be watching Bluestreak for the day. Sunstreaker had been none too happy with his free day being taken up with baby sitting whilst Sideswipe had happily agreed to it. After all it would keep a certain red Lamborghini out of trouble. Jazz entered the recreation room and immediately spotted the twins sat upon the couch, Sideswipe as per usual was playing on one of the game consoles whilst Sunstreaker was sat in the corner, a deep look of concentration on his facial plates as he drew upon his sketch pad. It was a very rare sight to see the gold Lamborghini drawing especially out in the open, but the saboteur took it as a good sign that Sunstreaker was in a complacent mood.

"Hey guys." The Solstice greeted the pair of them.

"Hey Jazz." Sideswipe responded although he didn't take his optics off the screen, Sunstreaker simply grunted a greeting, too engrossed in whatever he was drawing "one more zombie then I'll take Blue off your hands."

"S'lright Sides, its not like I haven't got all day." Jazz said sarcastically, however it appeared that either the red twin was ignoring him or hadn't heard him, the saboteur was willing to go with the former. It was then that Sunstreaker set aside his sketch pad and made his way round to the silver mech and plucked the slumbering sparkling out of Jazz's arms. The Solstice was amazed by the fact that a mech like the gold front-liner who enjoyed tearing apart Decepticons, was surprisingly gentle with a sparkling.

Sunstreaker adjusted his hold on Bluestreak before he met the saboteur's gaze and saw the stupid grin upon the silver mech's facial plates "Mute it Jazz or I'll accidentally let it slip to Prowl that you participated in the prank on Optimus a few days ago."

The smile only seemed to widen upon Jazz's facial plates "I would never dream of it, not whilst ya holdin' ma son anyway."

The gold front-liner simply glared at him "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Jazz held his hands up in a placating manner "Alright I'm goin' but just ta warn ya, he's been a little grumpy this mornin' so if ya have problems wit' ...."

"Yea we know, we'll call you blah, blah, blah, good bye Jazz, he'll be fine." Sideswipe said as he viciously attacked the controller in his hands. The saboteur shook his head in amusement before he removed a bag from his sub-space which carried half of Bluestreak's favourite toys and a couple of sippy cups full of specially graded energon. Sunstreaker took the bag from the silver mech and set it down next to the couch before watching the sparkling's spark carrier leave although not without saying goodbye to his little one first. Once Jazz was gone, the gold front-liner made his way round the couch and settled into his spot making sure he didn't jostle Bluestreak too much as he settled the thirteen month old sparkling in his lap.

"You know Sunny, you're destroying your image as the Dandelion of Doom and becoming the Prince of Pansies instead." Sideswipe told his brother as he flipped through the game menu.

Sunstreaker reached over and clipped his twin round the back of the head "Shut up aft head, and switch that slag off."

"Ooh language dear brother of mine." The red Lamborghini said "and if you leave a dent you're explainin' to Ratch how I got it."

The gold Lamborghini curled one of his hands into a fist "Then I should give you a few more just to give him an excuse to pound them out of that thick helm of yours." His azure optics flashed dangerously.

"Ah-ah not whilst Bluestreak is in the room with us, he might get the wrong impression." Sideswipe told him as he shifted out of range of his brother's reach and sat on the arm of the couch.

"You're incorrigible." Sunstreaker replied as he returned to his sketch pad.

"And you love me for it." The red Lamborghini said.

The gold front-liner didn't look up from his drawing "Hardly."

His twin feigned an expression of hurt "That hurts Sunny, right here." He placed a hand over his spark, Sunstreaker simply grunted at him as he sketched "just what the frag are you drawin' anyway?"

"The many ways in which I can kill you now frag off Sideswipe." The gold Lamborghini growled as his brother attempted to invade his personal space to take a peak at the drawing.

"Just one peak?" The red Lamborghini asked.

"No." Sunstreaker replied sharply which accidentally roused Bluestreak from his morning nap. The sparkling's baby blue optics flickered on-line and unhappy whimpers escaped his vocaliser."

"Way to go Sunny, now he's definitely going to be grumpy." Sideswipe said.

"Shut up Sideswipe." The gold Lamborghini responded as he sub-spaced his drawing pad before gathering an unhappy Bluestreak in his arms and pushed himself up. Sunstreaker clicked and cooed to the sparkling until the infant's whimpers dissolved into clicks, coos and warbles. In fact it wasn't long before Bluestreak began making a humming noise that the twins, as well as every bot on the base, learned to associate with the infant being hungry "wipe that dam smirk off your face, set up those cushions and get one of Blue's cups ready."

"Yes mom." The red Lamborghini retorted as he pushed himself off the arm of the couch and went about his 'assigned' tasks whilst Sunstreaker handed the sparkling one of his toys to play with as an distraction, then he was finally able to set the infant down making sure that the little one's sensory panels were flattened out behind him. Sunstreaker shot his brother a nasty glare as he snatched the cloth and sippy cup from his grinning twin, he laid out the flimsy cloth across the sparkling's lap before handing Bluestreak his energon. The infant immediately grabbed it and stuffed the protruding mouth piece into his mouth, greedily sucking down the glowing pink liquid. The gold Lamborghini sat down beside him watching him carefully as the sparkling tended to get carried away and forget to take a breath.

"I thought you were eager to look after Bluestreak today, even though I've done most of the work so far?" Sunstreaker asked as he nudged his brother with his foot.

"Because its nice to see the other side of my vain egotistical and self centred brother." The red Lamborghini replied with a large grin upon his facial plates. The gold front-liner shot him another nasty glare before turning his attention back to the sparkling, and just in time to hear Bluestreak say 'uh oh'. The pair of Lamborghinis glanced at the sparkling only for a pair of identical horrified looks appear upon their face plates at the sight of the infant. The little grey mechlet had somehow managed to pry the lid off the cup effectively dumping the last of its contents in his lap and on the couch, the twins couldn't help but stare as they had been assured that Bluestreak would not be able to pry the lid off through any means possible. Heck Prowl found it amusing when Jazz struggled to get them open.

"You gotta be kiddin' me, how the heck did he manage that?" Sideswipe asked minding his language, he knew by all rights Bluestreak shouldn't have been able to spill any energon on him, but by Primus he had managed somehow.

"Great a round of sparkling cleaning." Sunstreaker said none too pleased about the events transpiring "here take him and get him cleaned up, after all its your turn." The gold Lamborghini plucked the sparkling off the couch earning him a squeal of protest from the infant who had been having fun splattering the split energon everywhere. Sunstreaker deposited Bluestreak in his brother's arms earning him a round of twittering from the sparkling before starting to clear up the mess on the couch. He decided that if any of the energon messed up his paintwork, he was going to have serious words with Prowl and Jazz about making sure the fragging lid was clicked onto the cup properly next time. The gold front-liner grumbled to himself as he cleared up the last remnants of the sticky mess, he didn't mind looking after the infant but he drew a line when it became messy. Finished with his task, Sunstreaker deposited the soiled cloths and used wipes into a small bag and tied it up before placing it inside the large travel bag that went with Bluestreak everywhere. The gold Lamborghini pushed himself up onto his pedes, sub-spacing the bag then made his way out of the recreation room. He headed in the direction of the residential section and subsequently Prowl's and Jazz's quarters since they had the only wash rack equipped to clean the base's only sparkling. The bonded pair had given the code to only a select few despite the tactician's reluctance at first, so that if Bluestreak happened to get mucky and it was inevitable that he was going to, his caretakers could get him cleaned up.

Sunstreaker reached the officer's quarters and input the code into the pad, he entered the room hesitantly when the doors opened and immediately he felt somewhat awkward being there. He made his way across the tidy living space, optics falling briefly upon the play pen in the corner that had an abundance of soft toys within before peeking into the wash rack. He instantly spotted Sideswipe clearing up and making sure to put things back the way he found them as no doubt Prowl was precise about the location of materials.

"Where's Bluestreak?" The gold Lamborghini asked.

The red front-liner jumped and turned to face him "Slaggit Sunny give a mech a spark attack, what if I had Blue an' I dropped him?"

"Then you'd have two very fragged off creators chasing down your aft." Sunstreaker replied with a small smirk.

"Funny, and I put the tyke in his play pen, kid refused to stop movin'." Sideswipe told him as he returned to his clearing up. The gold twin frowned at that before he leant out the doorway backwards to catch sight of the play pen; it was empty and the gate was wide open.

"No fraggin' way." He cursed.

"What?" The red front-liner asked as he glanced at his brother, an air of dread began to settle in the room "please for the love of Primus, don't tell me he's not in the pen?"

"Then I hate to break it to you Sides." The gold Lamborghini replied as he turned and rushed into the living room, his brother quickly following behind him.

"Remind me to have words with those two about sparkling proofing already sparkling proofed stuff." Sideswipe said as they began searching for the missing infant.

"Later we need to find him and fast." Sunstreaker told his brother as he peered into the sparkling's room, he scanned every nook and cranny but there was no sign of Bluestreak anywhere which left only one other room . The gold front-liner stepped back from the room and approached the other bedroom and glanced inside, his brother doing the same.

_**:://Little fragger is gonna get us terminated.\\::**_ The red Lamborghini transmitted over the bond as he felt round the door way for the light switch, it clicked on and the pair felt their fuel pumps stall in their chests. Bluestreak was sat on the floor surrounded by a myriad of devices and objects he had pulled out of the storage boxes that had been situated underneath the berth, luckily enough none of them were dangerous but a couple appeared to be valuable.

_**:://Go get him before he breaks something.\\::**_ Sunstreaker told his brother.

_**:://What? Why me?!\\:: **_Sideswipe demanded as he turned to face his brother.

The gold Lamborghini scowled at him _**:://Because you wanted to look after him, and you let him out of your sight.\\::**_ The red Lamborghini grumbled to himself as he glared at his twin before he stepped into the room. So far the little one hadn't noticed him, but he knew from the twitching sensory panels that was unlikely to be the case.

"Blue." He rumbled, the sparkling glanced round and up at him before a cheeky smile appeared upon his facial plates, a string of coos, clicks and warbles escaped his vocaliser "come on you're not supposed to be in here." Sideswipe reached down to pick up the sparkling only for Bluestreak to scramble off the floor, an item clutched in his hands, and make a dash for the door way. Sunstreaker made a grab for him only for the infant to evade him. The pair of Lamborghinis cursed as they rushed out into the main living space and tried to catch sight of the little grey mechlet, however whilst they frantically searched Bluestreak had quickly translated the situation into a game of hide and seek. Both twins searched high and low for him following his giggling as he scrambled away from one hiding place to another, easily evading the pair of them each time. Luckily enough during the running round, the sparkling had dropped the object he had commandeered from his parent's room.

They managed to settle Bluestreak down for his lunch after an hour of running around after him before the infant was off creating chaos again, this time with colouring markers which he saw fit to decorate the walls and pieces of Sunstreaker's armour with. The gold Lamborghini had been none too happy about that and moodily wiped the graffiti off before he attempted to gently wrestle the marker out of Bluestreak's grasp. The sparkling willingly gave it up in order to go and grab another one, Sideswipe successfully managed to draw the infant's 'artistic' skills away from the walls to the sheets of paper he had placed upon the floor and joined in with drawing different shapes before colouring them in, keeping Bluestreak distracted for most of the afternoon. The pair of them managed to get an hours reprieve when Bluestreak fell into recharge, where they both hoped they had enough time to set things right before Bluestreak woke up from his nap and resumed his anarchy.

* * * * *

It was the early evening before Prowl and Jazz returned to their quarters, both clearly unaware of the chaos their creation had created whilst he had been left in the care of the twins. They had checked in during the day just to make sure everything was alright and the Lamborghini twins had told them everything was dandy, although the bonded pair couldn't help but hear the stress and tiredness in the tones of their voices.

"So do you think Blue has managed to put the twins off from having their own children?" Jazz asked as he turned to face his bond-mate so he was walking backwards down the corridor.

"I hope so, I don't even want to think of the carnage that would ensue if Sideswipe had a spawn of his own." Prowl replied, door wings twitching upon his back. The appendages hadn't stopped in their incessant minute movements after the saboteur had delivered an intense magnetic pulse into the joints during their bout of interfacing earlier. The tactician should have known his mate was up to something when he told him that he was going to help with the mountain of paperwork, not that he minded the distraction, after all it had been a while since they had been intimate. The Dodge Charger heard the Solstice chuckle and he could see that same playful smirk upon the silver mech's facial plates before Jazz turned round to face forwards as their door came into view. Jazz entered the code and the doors whooshed open however he was not prepared for the sight that would greet his optics. There on the couch in front of him were the twins slumped against one another, both deep in recharge. The saboteur glanced over his shoulder to see a positively evil smirk upon Prowl's lip components.

_**:://What are ya up to?\\::**_ The Solstice asked as he watched his mate step across the room, a chuckle threatened to escape his vocaliser as the tactician took on his formal, business like posture and schooled a neutral expression upon his facial plates.

"I was unaware that sparkling sitting duties included a recharge period." The Dodge Charger said in a stern almost lecturing tone, Jazz restrained the urge to burst out laughing as he watched the twins jump at the sound of his mate's voice before they scrambled groggily to their feet.

"Evenin' you two." The saboteur called out in greeting, Sideswipe was about to form an explanation but Sunstreaker beat him to it.

"What the frag did you give Bluestreak before he gave him to us?!" The gold Lamborghini demanded as he glared at each bond-mate in turn, he was thoroughly exhausted from having to run round after the small grey bundle of mischievous parts.

"I told ya he was bein' a little grumpy before I handed him over." Jazz replied.

"Grumpy?! Little fragger has been energetic all day not to mention he has a knack for escaping and undoing things he shouldn't be able too." The red Lamborghini told them.

"Hmm he's been doing it for a while, I meant to remedy the situation as quickly as possible." Prowl said although the twins could tell he was hardly apologetic for his creation's antics.

"So I guess we can call on ya again ta look after Blue?" The saboteur asked, smile tugging at the corners of his lip components.

"No." Both twins replied as they quickly left the bonded couple's quarters, a chuckle escaped Prowl's vocaliser once the doors closed behind the twins retreating forms.

"Well that went well." The Solstice said as he glanced around their quarters finding everything where it should be, although he did spot a few markings on the wall near the wash rack.

"Indeed." The tactician replied "remind me to assign them future sparkling sitting duties."

The Solstice chuckled as he stood beside his mate "That's evil love, but really we should talk ta 'Jack about doubling the security on everythin' that's sparklin' proofed, I don't wanna traumatise our son if he should happen ta walk in on us."

"Then I shall speak to him tomorrow as soon as I can." The Dodge Charger replied as he drew Jazz into a hug before placing a kiss on crest of his helm "come on." The black and white mech led his mate to their infant's room to say goodnight to their sparkling when they suddenly noticed the safety gate was a jar, the pair of them glanced at one another before quickly checking around their quarters as they knew an open gate meant Bluestreak was no longer in his room unless one of the twins had been careless and forgotten to shut it. They found Bluestreak however curled up on their berth, lying mostly upon his front, legs tucked underneath him, aft up in the air with his thumb in his mouth "scratch that I'll speak with him tonight." Prowl disappeared from their quarters whilst Jazz entered the bedroom taking in the sight of his creation, he sat down on the edge of the berth and reached out with one clawed hand to caress the infant's head. Yep they were definitely going to have to further sparkling proof the place if Bluestreak knew how to open the safety gates, but for now the saboteur allowed his sparkling the indulgence of recharging in his creators berth until either the Solstice or Prowl felt inclined to move him.

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**A/N: **he he poor Sunny and Sides, next one shot is labelled: Of Younglings and Leaders – watch out Optimus lol

I'm also willing to take any requests if you have any involving Bluestreak (at any age) and any character whether human, Autobot or even Decepticon


	4. Of Younglings and Leaders

**Title:** Of Younglings and Leaders

**Rating:** K

**Universe:** Movie 07/09 verse (AU)

**Characters: **Optimus Prime, youngling Bluestreak, Prowl, Barricade, brief appearance by the twins, Major Lennox, Galloway and a mention of Jazz.

**Pairings:** Hinted ProwlxJazz

**Warnings:** Fluff, lots of, use of profanities, and Galloway bashing (he he can't help it)

**Disclaimer: **Sadly don't own Transformers nor a certain fuzzy little blue dude I absolutely love from Lilo & Stitch

**Summary: **A certain youngling shows Optimus just who exactly is in charge of the base.

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Reading reports wasn't something Optimus Prime considered fun or enjoyable. In fact they completely bored him out of his main frame, but he knew it was one of the down sides of being Commander of the Autobots and the human alliance. He had so far managed to read through several of Red Alert's security plans although after the first few, he pretty much ignored the others knowing what they contained in their contents. The Prime had read Jazz's status update report as the head of Special Operations and his team were currently in Russia chasing up a Decepticon signal that had appeared there a few days ago, he was hoping that his 3IC would be returning home soon as he knew a certain youngling was missing his carrier terribly. Speaking of said youngling, Optimus glanced up from the tactical reports given to him that morning by Trailbreaker, to the young grey mechlet sat on the couch in the large office. Bluestreak was currently trying to solve the riddle of the rubix cube he had snuck out of the recreation room that morning when the Prime had taken the youngling to get his breakfast.

It had been unavoidable that that both of Bluestreak's parents would be away from Diego Garcia on short term assignments, normally the youngling would have been handed over to his guardians but Bluestreak had announced he wanted a change and stated firmly that he wanted to stay with Optimus until one or both of his parents came back. Both Ratchet and Ironhide had laughed themselves stupid when they overheard Bluestreak's declaration, and although Prime wanted to say no, he couldn't find it in himself to refuse the youngling's 'request'. After all he found it was the perfect excuse to get away from his tedious work cycle.

The large red and blue mech heard Bluestreak whine in frustration when one side of the rubix cube refused to stay one colour whilst he shuffled the other colours around, Optimus decided that maybe it was time to take a break and allow the youngling to stretch his legs for a while. The Prime pushed himself out of his seat gaining the attention of the little grey mechlet, he watched as a curious expression appeared upon Bluestreak's facial plates and he cocked his head in the same manner a certain head of special ops would do when he was curious about something.

"Come on as I don't know about you, but I could go for a walk." The semi Peter-built said, the youngling nodded and scrambled off the couch forgoing any of his toys "aren't you forgetting someone?" Small but elegant sensory panels rose upwards but it quickly clicked in the mechlet's processor "Stitch!" He dashed back to the couch and collected the blue plushie that resembled one of Bluestreak's current favourite cartoon characters, Optimus smiled as the youngling clutched the toy close before opening the doors to his office. The Prime allowed the youngling to step out first so he could keep an optic on the mechlet as he and the others knew how good he was at sneaking off, a trait inherited from his carrier, although his sire was just as good at disappearing under the radar when he wanted too. Bluestreak trotted alongside the large mech cheerfully waving and saying hello to the service men and women who smiled back at the youngling's enthusiastic greetings.

"Where we going Optimus?" The little grey mechlet asked as he glanced up at the Autobot leader.

"Where would you like to go?" Optimus inquired as they neared the entrance of the base.

"The Cove!" Bluestreak shouted excitedly, drawing the attention of everyone of the vicinity, the Prime chuckled at the sight of the youngling's sensory panels fluttering upon his back.

"Alright the Cove it is." The semi Peter-built replied as they stepped out of the base into the bustle of service men and women who had either just arrived upon the island or were waiting to depart upon either the Hercules, the C17's, or the AWACS sat upon the air strip, either on assignments or heading home to begin leave. Optimus knew there was every chance of losing Bluestreak so he picked the youngling up and set on his shoulders like he had seen the others do. The little grey mechlet settled himself quite comfortably upon the large shoulders as Optimus headed away from the base grounds and to the spot that was highly favoured by many of the permanent residents at the base. Once they were a certain distance away from the military installation, the Prime set Bluestreak down upon the ground and watched him run off toward the sea, although he was handed the plushie first for safe keeping. The semi Peter-built had to call him back a few times when he ran too far or stayed out in the sun too long, he almost envied the little grey mechlet as Bluestreak was a care free spirit and didn't carry the burden of countless Autobots being killed in the long war that had followed them from Cybertron, nor aged through the worry of wondering when the next Decepticon attack was going to be.

Optimus was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard a splash and was about to rescue one youngling from possible distress only to see Bluestreak attempting to skim some pebbles he had found upon the beach. However the youngling was having no success so far as each one _plopped_ into the surf, although the Prime had to admit Bluestreak could throw them quite far out for his age. The little 'game' had been shown to the little grey mechlet once when he had been under the supervision of Ironhide, Bluestreak had been fascinated by the flat stones, being thrown by Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps, skimming the surface of the water before disappearing with a soft _plop!_ The youngling had wanted to try but after a few failed attempts (some of which pinged off a less than pleased Weapons Specialist's armour), Bluestreak had settled for throwing them instead.

Bluestreak quickly grew tired of his game and instead went about searching the beach for shells, in fact Optimus knew his sub-space was going to be full of them by the time they returned to the base as the youngling trotted back and forth sometimes with a handful of them. Finally they reached the small cove where Bluestreak immediately rushed toward the large boulders that were cluttered together, the Prime knew the youngling was intrigued by the rock pools which had been created when the tide had moved out. The semi Peter-built knew the little grey mechlet enjoyed his outings with Hound as the Tracking Specialist taught Bluestreak as much as he could about Earth's wildlife, but when Optimus found disheartening was that the youngling had never asked about Cybertron. Which was a shame as their old home world had much to offer in context of history, literature, art and music, however they all knew that once the Earth born mechlet had assimilated as much as he could about Earth's culture, he might possibly ask about Cybertron then.

The Prime was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard a clang of metal meeting rock swiftly followed by an 'oof', he started to make a move toward the rocks to check to see if Bluestreak was alright when the youngling scrambled to his feet.

The little grey mechlet met Optimus' concerned gaze "I'm alright but I think I dented my aft though." The Prime gave him a small disapproving look at the word 'aft' being used, realising his mistake Bluestreak clamped his hands over his mouth nearly upsetting his already precarious balance upon the rocks "oops."

"Your fine youngling, just don't use it around your parents or I might find myself being reformatted into a kitchen appliance." The semi Peter-built told him as he held his hands out for the youngling to take.

"They wouldn't hurt you would they?" The little grey mechlet asked in concern as he took the large mech's hands and clambered off the rocks.

Optimus smiled in reassurance as he checked Bluestreak over for any damage "No they wouldn't but Ratchet might."

"Daddy says olé Hatchet is one giant walkin' dictionary of bad words." The youngling said as he glanced up at the Prime "and so are Sunny, Sides, Uncle 'Cade an' Ironhide."

The large red and blue mech chuckled "Then remind me to tell them off when I see them." Bluestreak nodded, his sensory panels fluttering "come on I know there's someone at the base you'll want to see." The youngling cocked his head to the side, gaze curious whilst his back appendages waved back and forth, but none the less he followed the Autobot leader back to the base. However Bluestreak soon opted to be carried when the warm afternoon sun became a little too much for him.

The journey back to the military installation didn't take as long as going out to the cove, but it was enough time for one of their returning teams to land, Optimus knew Bluestreak would be more than happy to know one of his parents was back but refused to ruin the surprise. The Prime entered the base grounds once he and Bluestreak had been scanned by the security system, his azure optics falling upon the C17 they had been expecting as it taxied down the runway toward the hangars. The semi Peter-built watched as the cargo hold door opened before being lowered to the ground, the youngling in his arms chirped and whistled as the humans disembarked from the aircraft until Bluestreak recognised the familiar alt. mode of his uncle which meant only one thing … his father was finally home. The youngling squirmed to get down when he saw his Sire leave the C17, Optimus set him down on the ground a small chuckle leaving his vocaliser. The Prime watched as Bluestreak raced across the tarmac darting around the humans as he rushed to greet Prowl. His 2IC had just unfolded from his alt. mode when he was tackled by a small wrecking ball of grey parts.

However the semi Peter-built's attention was drawn away from father and son being reunited to the C17's gangway, Lennox was just making his way down with a small smirk on his face followed shortly by … and Optimus had to look twice when he saw a rather irate Director Galloway hop down after the Major. The man had his hands tied behind his back and a gag stuffed into his mouth although it hardly stopped the man from making any noise. Then to make things more difficult for Galloway, someone had bound his ankles together so he had to hop around, it was certainly a comical sight to see as the Director's normal crisp suit was ruffled and his glasses were askew on his face. The Prime reined in his chuckles as he made his way across to his military strategist whose aft was still on the floor whilst Barricade stood off to one side of his brother, gaze settled upon Major Lennox who was doing his best to ignore the livid Director hopping around after him demanding to be released, although it all came out garbled.

"Dare I ask?" Optimus inquired as he met his 2IC's gaze.

"I believe it would be best to ask Barricade about the situation regarding Director Galloway." Prowl replied as he attempted to get to his pedes whilst Bluestreak was firmly attached to him.

The shock trooper gave the Autobot leader a side long glance and saw the expectant look upon the large mech's facial plates "The human was becoming an irritation so I took a few measures to silence him with a little help." The Prime couldn't the small chuckle escaping his vocaliser as he watched Lennox caution the irate Director with a combat knife before undoing Galloway's bonds, however as soon as the man's hands were free and the gag out of his mouth that he started his triad anew. The two black and white mech's groaned as they listened to Galloway berate the Major about insubordination, supposedly 'grievous bodily assault', threatening him with a weapon and for not keeping the Cybertronians under better control.

Lennox took it with a pinch of salt as he always did as the Director was all bark but no bite, and simply ignored him as he made his way over to where the equipment was being off loaded. The semi Peter-built turned his attention back to his 2IC in time to see a frown appear on Bluestreak's facial plates and his sensory panels droop as he too heard Galloway giving Will a lecture. The little grey mechlet left his father's side and made his way over to the two arguing men whilst ignoring his Sire and Optimus calling for him to come back. What happened next took them all by surprise as Bluestreak firmly planted himself between the Director and the Major, sensory panels flaring up in a high 'V' formation before planting his hands on his hips.

"Stop it." The youngling snapped which had the humans bottom jaws dropping in surprise "we're all supposed ta get along not fight each other, it makes us no better than the bad guys then. Now shake hands and make up." Galloway wanted to make a comment but wisely shut his mouth at the glare the small Cybertronian was shooting him. After all it would not be wise to upset him when on of the little one's parents was near by unless of course he fancied being squashed under foot or vaporised. Reluctantly both men shook hands before the Director stalked off grumbling to himself. Prowl couldn't help but gape at the scene that had just taken place whilst Barricade sniggered beside him, Optimus himself couldn't help but look surprised as Bluestreak trotted back to them, looking decidedly happy with himself.

"Maybe you should set him on the twins next time they decide to slag each other." The shock trooper suggested to his little brother.

"Well its true what they say, like father like son." The Prime said as they youngling return to his stunned Sire's side.

"Well frag me dead, did Blue just scare away that pit slagger Galloway?" Sideswipe asked as he and his brother approached the small group, then the red front-liner cringed when he realised moments later that he allowed his glossa to slip.

Bluestreak frowned at his guardian "Naughty Uncle Sides, not allowed to say bad words."

"Bluestreak's right Sideswipe, there was an agreement about the use of profanities when the youngling is within audio range." Optimus told the red Lamborghini who was still trying to comprehend the fact that he had just been told off by said youngling whilst his brother quietly snickered to himself.

"Appears I've been made redundant when it comes to disciplining the twins." The tactician said with a small smile.

"Frag." The red Lamborghini cursed under his breath, then quickly realised his mistake "I meant bugger … unless of course that's off limits too?"

The Prime chuckled "I better return to my office."

"I'll have a report on our findings to you by the end of the day Sir." Prowl told him as he picked his creation up and settled him on his hip.

"It can wait until tomorrow Prowl." The semi Peter-built replied "spend the rest of the day with Bluestreak, he's missed you." The Dodge Charger nodded before he turned his attention to his son who had blurted out that he wanted to go to the beach a few miles away, Optimus watched as the youngling wiggled to get down before goading Barricade and the twins into 'catching' him, a challenge they readily accepted although Sunstreaker was none too happy about going near the sand.

"Why don't you join us Sir?" Prowl inquired as he glanced up at his Commander. The Prime contemplated saying no at first as he had work he needed to get back too, but he decided that he really didn't want to be stuck in his office with only data-pads as company.

"Why not, after all the reports will still be there when I get back." The semi Peter-built replied, a small smile appeared upon his 2IC's facial plates before the pair followed in the wake of a certain energetic youngling and his 'pursuers'. After all one could not predict when the next down time might be, so it was best that they enjoyed it as best as they could without having to worry for a few hours about the Decepticons next strike.

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**A/N:** well there's that one done, next one up: Of Younglings and Saboteurs. And I will get the requests people sent me up afterwards I promise!


	5. Of Youngling's and Saboteurs

**Title: **Of Younglings and Saboteurs

**Rating:** K+

**Universe: **Movie 07/09 verse (AU)

**Characters:** Youngling Bluestreak, Jazz, Ratchet, twins, Prowl and ensemble of others

**Pairings:** Hinted ProwlxJazz

**Warnings:** Fluff, lots of,

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition.

**Summary: **Jazz discovers its not all sunshine and roses when it comes to looking after Bluestreak whilst Prowl is away.

This one shot is a request from my little sister who threw the idea at me about what it would be like if Jazz was on his own whilst Prowl was away, to deal with a poorly Bluestreak. So here it is Hun. I also wanna thank every one who have reviewed, added to their favourites and alerts, you guys are awesome!

_:/blah\: - Inter. comm._

_**::Blah:: Radio communication**_

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There weren't many things that would startle Jazz out of a sound recharge as he tended to be a heavy sleeper, hell Prowl had even informed him that he was a dead weight to move when he began hogging the berth which normally ended up in either an impromptu wrestling match or his mate retreating to the couch in the living room. But the subtle shifting of a frame next to his had the saboteur on-lining straight away, the first thing he registered other than the fact that the light had been dimmed to their lowest level, was that his abdominal plating felt incredibly warm. He glanced down and smiled at the little grey form curled up in his lap, the seven year old youngling was tucked up in a soft blanket and currently deep in recharge. The Solstice shifted one of his arms that he had wrapped around Bluestreak's back and gently pressed his palm to the youngling's forehead, he sighed in relief when he found his creation's plating to be cool finally after sporting a high temperature for the past week. Jazz shifted to stretch his legs as they had been curled up under the little grey mechlet's bulk, his back also protested the upright position he was currently sat in whilst making sure not to disturb Bluestreak in his much needed rest. However it did rouse the youngling briefly from his recharge but he simply snuggled into his spark carrier and dropped off to sleep again.

The saboteur checked his chronometer to find it was a little after oh seven hundred hours, he knew Ratchet would be along shortly to check up on the youngling's condition. The little grey mechlet was currently being plagued by a virus called Rust spot, which had been a common youngling ailment back on Cybertron, the medic had likened it to the humans childhood illness Chickenpox except Rust spot didn't create disgusting watery blisters like the human virus did just horrible red patches upon the derma plating that both itched and tended to be sore almost painful. But what Jazz didn't understand was where had it come from? Ratchet informed him that Bluestreak didn't need to come into contact with an infected bot as the virus wasn't contagious, he had also explained that it would only take a few stray rust particles coming into contact with the youngling's energon (which had possibly happened when the little grey mechlet injured one of his fingers the other day when playing). However the CMO had reassured him that he would look into the cause of it just in case something nasty was at work.

The saboteur slowly and carefully extracted himself from the confines of the couch and from under the bulk of his creation before he crouched down in front of the couch, he gently rearranged Bluestreak into a more comfortable position rather than the scrunched up one that had resulted when the Solstice had freed himself. With his task completed, the silver mech smoothed a clawed hand over the youngling's helm in a comforting manner before pushing himself upright and stretching to undo any kinks in his joints and back. Jazz then headed toward to the wash rack to grab a shower despite his want to indulge in a bath just to soothe away the tension in his frame, but with Prowl away on a diplomatic mission with Optimus in Washington D.C at the moment, he didn't dare leave Bluestreak alone for even a second. The others had offered to help out in any way whilst the tactician was away, but the little grey mechlet shied away from them and refused to leave his carrier's side whilst he was feeling vulnerable. Even Barricade who Bluestreak was particularly fond of, couldn't coax him away from the saboteur so Jazz could have five minutes to himself. However the Solstice knew that once his son was feeling better in himself then the youngling would look for company other than his daddy but until then he refused to be parted from his carrier. Jazz was just glad that Major Lennox had offered to step in and assume command when the saboteur found himself struggling slightly with juggling his duties and an ill not to mention rather grumpy Bluestreak.

The Solstice was drawn out of his thoughts when he felt someone ping his comm. link _:/Jazz here.\:_

_:/Jazz its Ratchet.\: _Came the reply.

:_/Mornin' Doc, come straight in I'll be there in a sec.\: _The saboteur told the medic as he quickly dried his plating before making his way into the living room just as the CMO entered his personal quarters.

_:/How's he been?\: _The Hummer inquired as he met the Solstice's gaze.

_:/Didn't wake once last night an' his temperature seems ta have gone down.\: _Jazz replied as he perched himself on the arm of the couch nearest to the youngling's head. Ratchet made his way over and knelt in front of the couch removing one of his portable scanners from sub-space, he ran it over the slumbering form of the little grey mechlet then checked the results.

_:/You were right about his temperature, its nearly fallen back to normality.\:_ The medic told the saboteur _:/and it looks as though its beginning to clear up.\: _The CMO gently removed one of Bluestreak's arms from the warm cocoon of blankets to inspect the youngling's derma-plating, he was pleased to see that the horrible red patches were turning to a pale orange colour and the top layer of metal skin had stopped flaking.

_:/Did ya find out what caused this?\: _The Solstice inquired.

_:/It started as a small rust infection, but its nothing serious however I would like to give Bluestreak an anti-viral agent just to boost his immunity.\: _Ratchet replied, the silver mech nodded his consent then watched as the medic injected the anti-viral agent into one of his creation's fuel lines with practised ease _:/just keep applying the ointment I gave you until the patches on his plating turn a light grey, and see if you can get him to ingest something a little more than half a mug of energon, we need to start boosting his energy levels up as well.\:_

_:/Got it.\:_ Jazz said as he folded his arms across his chest.

_:/And the same goes for you, don't think I can't detect how low your own energy levels are.\: _The CMO admonished the saboteur _:/need to keep you in tip top form or I'm going to have a rather fragged off bond-mate gunnin' for my aft otherwise.\:_

The Solstice chuckled at that but his good humour quickly evaporated _:/If and when they get back.\:_

_:/Well if any of those bureaucrats are anything like Galloway, probably never unless one of our mechs develop a sudden need to step on a human.\:_ Ratchet replied with a smile _:/they'll be back soon.\:_

_:/Ah know they will, its just that lil Blue is missin' his father, an' I'm kinda goin' stir crazy bein' stuck in here.\: _The silver mech told him.

:_/So get out for a bit, it'll be good for the both of you, I'm sure the others would like to see that the pair of you are still functioning.\:_ The medic suggested _:/in fact I can make it an order if I have too.\:_

_:/No need too Doc, we'll get out and about today.\: _Jazz replied as he slid off the arm of the chair as Ratchet pushed himself upright.

:/ I'll leave you to it, but make sure you both get a good dose of energon before you venture out.\: The CMO told the saboteur sternly.

The Solstice cocked his head to the side in an imitation of an eye roll :/Will do Ratch.\:

The Hummer scrutinised him closely :/Remember to call me if you need anything.\: The silver mech nodded, Ratchet gave one of Jazz's forearms a reassuring squeeze before making his way out of the saboteur's living quarters. The Solstice watched him leave before turning his attention to the couch when his audio receptors detected the subtle sound of his creation's systems powering up. Jazz knelt down in front of the couch just as baby blue optics un-shuttered and on-lined.

"Hey lil Blue." The saboteur greeted his son, he reached out with one clawed hand and smoothed it over Bluestreak's helm.

"Hey daddy." The youngling responded as he slowly stretched to undo any kinks then curled up again, pulling the blanket over him a little more.

"How ya feelin' this mornin'?" The Solstice asked.

"Better but it still itches." And to prove his point, Bluestreak began scratching at a patch on his right forearm.

"Ah, ah what did I tell ya about scratchin' it." Jazz admonished, the youngling glanced at his carrier sheepishly whilst trying to ignore how the rest of his plating began to twitch "come on lets get ya in ta a bath first then we'll get some energon."

"Okay." The little grey mechlet replied as he untangled himself from the blanket and clambered off the couch. The saboteur pushed himself upright he looked Bluestreak over before the youngling disappeared from the room, the ugly red patches were truly beginning to fade now after causing his youngling a nightmarish week of itchiness, soreness, an upset fuel tank and a high temperature. He knew there was a small chance that the Rust spot could leave some small scarring upon Bluestreak's plating, but given time it would eventually fade. The Solstice made his way over to the wash rack and began running a bath before going to search for a certain youngling whom he found trying to scratch at a patch on his right sensory panel. Jazz leant against the door frame to the little grey mechlet's room, he folded his arms across his chest before clearing his vocaliser.

Bluestreak however chose to ignore him "Evil darn it itch, stop friggin' annoyin' me." Were a few creative sentences leaving his vocaliser.

"Bluestreak." The saboteur called in the tone of voice that the youngling knew he was in some sort of trouble.

"Can't help it." The little grey mechlet whined as he met his spark carrier's gaze.

"I know but you'll only make it sore again." The Solstice told him as he pushed himself off the door frame "come on." Bluestreak slid off his berth and made his way across the room, Jazz spotted the youngling trying to subtly scratch at a patch on his belly as they made their way to the wash rack. The saboteur turned off the taps and swirled the water round making sure it wasn't too hot before depositing his creation into the large tub.

"When will father be home?" Bluestreak asked as he settled into the waist high water.

"Soon." Jazz replied as he collected a couple of soft bristled scrub brushes and the bottle of medicated solution Ratchet had given him.

"But you said that yesterday." The youngling pointed out as his carrier returned and deposited the cleaning supplies on the edge of the bath tub "what if he an' Optimus an' Ironhide are in trouble an' the bad guys have them?"

The saboteur chuckled as he clicked open the lid of the solution bottle "They're fine Blue 'sides ya father, Optimus an' olé Ironhide would sooner kick Decepticon butt then let them capture 'em."

Bluestreak giggled before gesturing wildly "Father would kick Megatron's backside to the moon an' back!"

The Solstice smiled "He certainly would unless Ironhide an' Optimus beat him to it first, olé Megs wouldn't know what hit 'im."

"Yep." The youngling replied, Jazz chuckled before handing him one of the soft bristle brushes with words not to be too rough upon the patches before the saboteur began cleaning his back plates and sensory panels "can we go to the rec. room today, I wanna see uncle Sides 'n' uncle Sunny 'n' uncle 'Cade if he's there too."

The Solstice glanced at his soon slightly surprised, he was going to ask the little grey mechlet if he wanted to go down to the recreation room and half expected to have a fight on his hands. But it seemed Bluestreak was definitely feeling better in himself, not too mention that he might also be bored with his current surroundings.

"Of course baby, figured ya might be bored wit' stayin' in here." The silver mech responded as he meticulously scrubbed the little one's sensory panels causing them to flutter and a giggle to escape Bluestreak's vocaliser at the ticklish sensation. Then once the youngling was thoroughly clean, Jazz helped the little grey mechlet out of the large tub before grabbing one of the large towels which he threw over Bluestreak's helm.

"Daddy." The youngling giggled as he pulled the towel off his helm and let it drop to the floor although he still clutched a fistful of it, the saboteur smiled before he reached down and swiftly wrapped the little grey mechlet in it. The Solstice then herded Bluestreak out of the wash rack once he had pulled the plug to let the water out, the pair then headed to the youngling's room where they dried his plating and applied the ointment prescribed for the Rust spot. Then once that was done, Bluestreak followed his carrier out into the living space where he clambered up onto the couch, grabbed his blanket and curled up in one corner waiting for his breakfast. Jazz brought over two mugs of energon from the dispenser and frowned when he saw Bluestreak tucked up in his blanket, snuggled in the corner.

"Lil Blue are you alright?" The saboteur inquired softly as he placed the mugs on the table before sitting down next to his son, he reached out to touch the youngling's forehead but his temperature seemed fine.

"Fine Daddy, just a lil sleepy." Bluestreak replied as he snuggled into his carrier's side.

"Maybe we should leave goin' to the rec. room today." The Solstice suggested as he wrapped an arm around the youngling's back, drawing him closer.

"But I wanna see uncle Sunny 'n' uncle Sides." The little grey mechlet protested as he pushed away from his carrier and glanced up at him with pleading optics.

"A compromise then, I'll ask Sunstreaker and Sideswipe to come here instead." Jazz said. He knew he had promised Ratchet that they would get out and about today, but he didn't want Bluestreak to over exert himself when he still wasn't feeling a hundred percent.

Bluestreak seemed to contemplate this as he glanced away then met his carrier's gaze once his mind was made up "Okay."

"We'll see how ya feelin' later an' maybe then we'll go to the rec. room then." The saboteur told the youngling, Bluestreak nodded before accepting his mug of energon. The Solstice was relieved to see the youngling's appetite was back as he put in the call to the twins, surprisingly enough the pair were already on their way down to drop in and see how the little grey mechlet was doing. It wasn't long before the door's key pad chimed and Bluestreak pushed himself up onto his knees so he could see who it was although he already had an inkling as to who it could be. The youngling watched as his carrier palmed the pad on the wall before the doors whooshed open to reveal the twins, Bluestreak pushed himself out of the couch and rushed across to his guardians.

"Hey Blue." Sideswipe greeted the youngling as he swung him up and settled him on his hip "boy you're getting' heavy."

"Hey!" The little grey mechlet responded in indignation.

The red Lamborghini chuckled "How's my favourite youngling anyway?" He carried Bluestreak back to the couch before setting him down upon it.

"I'm fine uncle Sides." The youngling replied.

"In that case …" The red front-liner fished around in his sub-space before withdrawing a small clear plastic tub that contained energon goodies. Bluestreak perked up at the sight of the candy before taking the proffered treats.

The little grey mechlet glanced at his carrier "Can I daddy?"

"Only a couple, don't want ya makin' yaself ill." Jazz replied, the youngling nodded as he peeled off the lid then removed two of the goodies before setting the tub aside.

"Look what I also got." Sideswipe said as he removed two game pads and another small tub full of game chips, Bluestreak took one of the pads from the red Lamborghini before routing through the container to look for a game to play. The Autobots had many of the games the humans played on their consoles, downloaded onto the chips so they could have something to pass the time when they were away from the base. So Bluestreak was really spoilt for choice when it came to games for him to play. Whilst Sideswipe and Bluestreak were rummaging through the box of game chips, Sunstreaker and Jazz moved to the table and chairs set against the wall opposite the main doors.

"How's he doin?" Sunstreaker inquired as he sat down upon one of the chairs.

The saboteur sat down opposite him "Ratchet said that its startin' ta clear up finally an' I gotta agree with him on that, but lil Blue is missin' Prowl."

"Speaking of which." The gold Lamborghini stated before removing a data-pad from sub-space "this came in this mornin' from Optimus an' the others."

The Solstice took the data-pad from the front-liner and skimmed its contents until his optics fell upon the single sentence he was hoping to see, optic ridges rose upwards before Jazz glanced up to meet Sunstreaker's gaze "About time."

"You gonna let Blue know?" The gold Lamborghini asked as he glanced over to the couch where Sideswipe and Bluestreak were battling it out on the game pads.

The saboteur glanced over at his youngling "Nah I'll leave it as a surprise." The front-liner allowed a small smile to grace his lip components before he pushed himself out of the chair he had been sitting in and made his way over to the couch.

"Okay I get to play winner." Sunstreaker stated as he perched on the arm of the chair behind Bluestreak.

"Nah, nah uncle Sideswipe eat my dust!" The youngling proclaimed as he bounced in his seat.

"Not for long youngling." The red Lamborghini replied as he viciously attacked the controls only to be rewarded by his vehicle crashing into a pillar "d'oh who was stupid enough to put that there."

"Don't blame the game designers for your incompetence." Sunstreaker told his brother which earned him a glare from his twin.

"Look uncle Sunny the finish line ..." The little grey mechlet showed the game pad to the twin behind him only to regret it when his vehicle crashed head on with a semi truck "oh Optimus* got in the way." Bluestreak said as he lowered the game pad so he could finish the race, but not before performing some cheap trick to take out Sideswipe's vehicle just before the finish line.

"You little cheater!" The red Lamborghini proclaimed which earned him a large grin from the little grey mechlet "that was such a 'Jazz' move." He threw a glare over his shoulder at the Solstice who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Hand it over Sides." Sunstreaker said gesturing for the game pad to be given to him.

"Nuh-uh, I want a rematch and you …" He pointed at Jazz "... no more showing him any cheap tricks over your bond." The gold Lamborghini sighed, it was going to be a long day as Sideswipe always tended to get competitive when it came to racing games, so he settled in to watch his brother get trashed by Bluestreak over and over again.

* * * * * * * * * *

To say he was glad to be home was an understatement, Prowl just wanted to be back inside the Diego Garcia base so he could be reunited with his family. The Dodge Charger had missed them terribly and simply couldn't wait to see them especially after having to put up with a week of listening to bureaucrats argue amongst themselves, the tactician just hoped that Optimus Prime planned to hold their debriefing tomorrow morning as he knew he would not be able to sit through a meeting. His prayers were answered when they disembarked from the C17's and took their bipedal forms, Optimus announced to them that he would see them at oh nine hundred hours in the morning before trundling off. Ironhide muttered 'thank Primus' under his breath before dragging his pedes in the direction of his quarters.

Prowl took the advantage and headed straight to the residential section, he had been worried all week when Jazz first contacted him about Bluestreak contracting Rust spot. He remembered from his own experiences how nasty the virus was with the sore and itchy red patches, not too mention the fever and the purging that came with it. The tactician just hoped Bluestreak was now on the road to recovery since the virus tended to only last from a few days to a week, sometimes longer if the Rust spot managed to re-infest itself. But he was curious as to how the youngling got it when the virus was neither contagious or had been contracted by any one on the base,although he was sure without a doubt his mate would fill him in about that part.

The Dodge Charger finally reached his quarters and input the code, the doors whooshed open to reveal a semi tidy room since Bluestreak's toys were stacked haphazardly to one side. He glanced around noting how quiet it was until his optics fell upon the wash room when he saw the light on and his audio receptors detected that someone was talking. The black and white mech crossed the room before peering inside to see Bluestreak inside the bath tub playing with a couple of his toys whilst Jazz was washing his back plates, after all Prowl knew how hard it was for a door winged mech to reach for the joints let alone the panels themselves.

"Evenin' Prowl." The saboteur called out without looking up, the youngling glanced up at the sound of his Sire's name being called and attempted to clamber out of the bath, splashing his carrier in the process "ah, ah ya can greet ya father in a sec, let me finish first or ya gonna have soap in th' joints." The little grey mechlet slouched sulkily with his arms folded across his chest as he waited for his carrier to finish washing his back plates "now ya can go." Bluestreak didn't wait for any help to get out of the bath tub as he clambered over the side before rushing to greet his father, Prowl scooped him up once he was in range and held him close, Jazz made his way over and greeted his mate with a chaste kiss.

The youngling wrinkled his facial plates"Ew, old mechs kissin'."

"Oi cheeky." The saboteur responded poking the little grey mechlet in the side with a low pulse of magnetics which earned him a few giggles "now get ya father to dry ya before ya get cold."

"Aye sir." The tactician playfully saluted his spark-mate before catching the towel the Solstice threw at him. The Dodge Charger carried his creation out of the wash rack and to the youngling's room whilst listening to Bluestreak's excited chatter. Prowl knew the moment he set the little grey mechlet on the floor, it would be a task to dry him as the youngling gestured wildly whilst he told his father about today's exploits. Every now and again the tactician told Bluestreak to remain still as he dried the little grey mechlet thoroughly whilst being mindful of the healing patches upon the youngling's derma-plating. Then just as he was applying the medicated ointment on Bluestreak's Rust spot, the Dodge Charger heard his mate curse loudly.

"Ya gotta be fraggin' kiddin' me!"

Prowl scooped up a concerned Bluestreak up and settled him on his left hip before rushing out of the youngling's room and to the wash rack "Jazz what's ….?" He was in the middle of asking when he entered the wash rack only to trail off when he spotted his bonded inspecting a familiar suspicious looking red spot that was just forming upon the plating just above his right hip, then the other that was just visible on the underside of his left forearm.

Bluestreak glanced from his sire to his spark carrier "Uh-oh Daddy's got it too."

"Appears so." Prowl replied _**::Prowl to Ratchet.::**_

_**::Ratchet here.:: **_Came the medic's response.

_**::It appears we have a small situation, could you come down and take a look at Jazz.::**_ The tactician inquired as he reassured his son over their bond that it wasn't his fault.

_**::I'm on my way.:: **_The CMO replied before switching off the comm. link.

The Dodge Charger met his mate's gaze "Ratchet's on his way love."

"Great this is all I needed." Jazz huffed as he resisted the urge to scratch at the patch above his right hip "though Ratch said it wasn't contagious."

"Normally it isn't and its also rare for an adult to get it, unless of course you never had it as a youngling." Prowl told his mate, the look upon the saboteur's facial plates immediately informed the tactician that no his spark-mate had never had Rust spot as a youngling which unfortunately made him susceptible to getting it.

"In that case, Ratch is gonna need ta check the twins too." The saboteur said as he scratched at the patch on his forearm.

"Dad don't scratch." Bluestreak admonished his carrier "you'll make it sore."

"Blue's right." The tactician told his bonded before he heard the chime to notify them that someone was at their door. The Dodge Charger made his way out of the wash rack and into the living space, before making his way to the doors and palming the pad to open the doors. He was greeted with the sight of Ratchet as the medic stepped into the room.

"Where is he?" The CMO asked.

"Wash rack." Prowl responded.

"Daddy's got Rust spot." Bluestreak told the Hummer, ratchet's optic ridges rose upwards before he began heading to the wash rack followed closely by the Dodge Charger and the youngling who was sat comfortably on his father's hip.

"This is just fraggin' awesome." Jazz continued to curse as he searched his plating for more patches.

Ratchet stepped up behind him before clipping him round the back of his helm "Alright calm down and stop cussin'." The medic removed his portable scanner from sub-space and ran it over the saboteur's frame.

As Ratchet looked over Jazz, Prowl contemplated going to Optimus and asking to be assigned somewhere, anywhere in the world as he distinctly hated it when the saboteur became ill as although the Solstice knew how to look after himself, he tended to be become rather moody and ill tempered. But as much as he wanted too, the tactician knew he couldn't abandon his mate and decided to keep the Solstice happy and complacent during the next few days of his illness. He just prayed to Primus that Bluestreak would not come down with it again or he was certainly going to have his hands full.

* * * * * * * * * *

**A/N: **the game Bluestreak and Sideswipe were playing is Burnout which my sisters and I love creating mayhem on *and yes we do tend to name the vehicles if they resemble any transformers when we crash into them. And yes I remember the glory days of having to put up with Chickenpox, evil thing that it was, my youngest sister was lucky to escape it after the rest of us got it lucky bugger.

Anyway the next one is the first Request fic *heads desk* finally got there, its: Of Younglings and door wings.


	6. Of Younglings and Doorwings

**Title:** Of Younglings and Door wings

**Rating:** K+

**Universe:** Movie 07/09 verse (AU)

**Characters: **Youngling Bluestreak, Jazz, Ratchet, Prowl and mention of others

**Pairings:** ProwlxJazz

**Warnings: **Fluff, lots of, use of profanities

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition.

**Summary:** A certain youngling encounters the problem with being born with sensory panels

I would have had this up sooner, however I'm currently full of cold so I'm far from 100% *glares at siblings who can't keep their germs to themselves*

But here it is, this one shot was a request from **optimusprime007**, so here it is hun!

* * * * * * * * * *

It had started out as a beautiful sunny day with a few wisps of clouds in the blue sky, a cool gentle breeze and a hot morning sun promised to send Diego Garcia's temperatures sky rocketing. It was a seemingly perfect day to take a certain energetic youngling and an over worked tactician out of the base. Originally Prow had no plans to take Bluestreak out of the military installation as he still had numerous tactical simulations to run, however Jazz had tracked him down to his office and all but bodily shoved him out of the room before asking Optimus to lock it down. The tactician had been none too pleased about that and had argued with his bonded in the middle of the corridor, but the saboteur refused to back down stating that the Dodge Charger was working himself into deactivation, not too mention that he and their creation were feeling some what neglected. The black and white mech found himself at a loss for words as he never intended to neglect his mate and child in favour of his duties, however with the Decepticons stepping up their attacks, he had less and less free time to spend with them.

In the end he had agreed to spend the morning with their son only for the Solstice to inform him that their leader had removed him from the duty roster and had given him the day off. Prowl could have cursed his mate there and then if it hadn't been for a certain youngling rounding the corner and rushing to greet his parents, the tactician's resolve broke when Bluestreak latched onto one of his legs and proudly announced he couldn't wait to spend the day with him. The Dodge Charger had glared at his spark-mate only to receive a smug smile in return before he detached the youngling from his leg and led him away. The little grey mechlet stated as always that he wanted to venture out onto the beach rather than being stuck in the base, and Prowl had obliged suddenly feeling the urge to get out of the military installation as well. There had been a few times, the youngling had been taken off base to visit other sites around the globe, but they were only few and far between for many reasons. A couple of them was that the Decepticons always choose the wrong moment to attack either spoiling the day or cancelling it altogether, that ad the young Cybertronian was a terrible traveller. Bluestreak refused to sit still whenever he was in a cargo hold of a C17, and when he was strapped in somehow he always managed to worm his way out of it. More often than not he was seen running around the hold as he knew that his parents, guardians and caretakers couldn't afford to transform inside of the plane in case they destabilised it during mid-flight. So Jazz and Prowl ensured that if the youngling did leave Diego Garcia, he had an assortment of toys and games to preoccupy him during the long flights.

The tactician glanced across to where Bluestreak was at that moment in time, the youngling was currently hopping carefully from rock to rock as he explored the small rock pools. A smile tugged at the corners of his lip components when he saw the little grey mechlet's sensory panels fluttering on his back, although every now and again they would wave back and forth when something caught his curiosity. The Dodge Charger leant against a large smooth boulder a few metres from where his creation was exploring, he folded his arms across his chest before settling his azure gaze on the little grey form, watching him carefully. Prowl recalled the moment he had learnt that his creation had sensory panels, he had been both concerned and worries by that news as he knew personally what it was like to grow up with the finicky back appendages. He had lost count how many times he had been plagued by the aches and pains, not too mention crippled or knocked into stasis lock when they were damaged or dislocated. He understood the implications that when he would have children of his own that there was a fifty/fifty percent chance they would inherit the genetic imprint for sensory panels, but he had been hoping that his first born would take after his mate. Luckily enough Jazz always took control of the situation when their son developed the usual aches and pains in the joints by utilising a very low magnetic pulse, however there had been only one time where the saboteur couldn't help and that was when the sparkling was learning to walk. The Dodge Charger hadn't realised at the time just how tedious it was going to be, not to mention how it was going to try his patience or his emotional subroutines as he tried to teach Bluestreak how to flatten his sensory panels against his back when walking. But father and son had quickly grown frustrated by the situation, the sparkling had become greatly upset because he was struggling to maintain his already precarious balance and take his glorious first steps, whilst Prowl struggled with his inner turmoil's at seeing his son grow frustrated with not being able to complete the simple task of walking from his carrier to his sire. However persistence had paid off and Bluestreak had taken his first steps without prompting or aid from his parents.

Prowl was suddenly drawn out of his thoughts when he heard a terrified scream from his youngling, the tactician pushed himself off the rock in time to see Bluestreak loose his footing on the wet and slippery rocks as he tried to scramble away from something, and fall upon his back. A loud crack and a scrape of metal against rock permeated the air followed swiftly by a scream of pain issuing forth from the youngling's vocaliser. The tactician rushed across to the sobbing little grey mechlet who was still desperately trying to clamber away from whatever had spooked him but he couldn't get his legs under him. The Dodge Charger plucked Bluestreak up from where he had fallen and moved quickly to the beach whilst subroutines were activated to tune his sensors to their highest sensitivity. The large black and white mech cooed softly to his son as he carefully set him down so he could check the extent of his injuries, however his fuel pump to nearly stall inside his chest when his optics landed upon the two little grey sensory panels. The right had been grazed but the left had been dislocated from its socket so it hung limply down Bluestreak's back.

"It … h-hurts." The little grey mechlet sobbed as he clutched at his father's forearms, completely paralysed from the pain emanating from his back.

"I know." The Dodge Charger replied softly to the little grey mechlet in order to calm him down before his near hysterical crying caused him to purge his fuel tank. Prowl could curse the fragger who had designed sensory panels in the first place as despite being elegant in their nature, they were nothing but a burden to those who had been born with them. The tactician lifted Bluestreak up as he stood before settling him on his let hip, making sure not to jostle the damaged sensory panels and causing his creation any further pain. Then once the youngling was settled, Prowl began making his way back to the base as quickly as he possibly could. The tactician made sure to ping Ratchet's comm. link informing the medic that they were on their way to him before answering his mate's frantic calls through their bond. By the time the Dodge Charger reached the base, Bluestreak's wails had calmed to choked sobs, but Prowl knew it could mean one of two things; either the dislocation wasn't as bad as he first thought or the feedback from the damaged sensory panels were simply becoming too much for the little grey mechlet, which only compelled the tactician to move faster not too mention snap at anyone who got in his way. When he arrived at the med-bay, Ratchet was already waiting for them.

"What happened?" The medic inquired as he directed the tactician to one of the medical berths where he carefully set down Bluestreak upon it. The CMO picked up the portable scanner and ran it over the youngling's back.

"He slipped whilst he was exploring the rock pools." The tactician replied as calmly as he could despite his systems racing in panic, he felt completely helpless in not being able to do any more for his son except comfort and reassure him.

"One … of those … mean crabs* … thingys, the same ones … uncle 'Cade wants to s-stomp on … ran at me." The little grey mechlet tried to explain between choked sobs and hiccups.

"Well he has good reason too, they're mean." The CMO told Bluestreak "alright now Blue, I want you to be brave for me okay whilst I give you a small injection okay?" The youngling nodded before Ratchet instructed him to lie down upon his left side, but partially on his front as well. Normally Bluestreak would have kicked up a fuss about having injections or being in Ratchet's lair in general, but right now he was in far too much pain to worry about anything else. The little grey mechlet flinched when he felt something cold brush against his right sensory panel only to whimper in pain when the left one began aching even more once the medic had finished swabbing the exposed fuel line he was after.

"Alright here we go, just a little sting okay, but it'll be over quickly." The CMO uttered softly to Bluestreak as he slid the needle into the fuel line at the base of both sensory panels. The youngling tucked his helm into the soft padding of the berth, shuttered his optics and squeezed his father's hand "that's it, I'm almost done."

"Easy Blue." Prowl cooed to the young Cybertronian as he watched the last of the vial being injected into the fuel line before the medic removed the needle and set it aside.

Ratchet stood up fully and glanced at the tactician "Need to give it a few minutes to take effect then I can start on his repairs." The Dodge Charger nodded before gently smoothing a hand over his creation's helm, he knew Bluestreak's recovery from this injury wasn't going to be pleasant at all and was grateful that he had a mate who understood this as well since Jazz had dealt with Prowl's door wings often enough. Prowl crouched close to the berth so his helm was level with the edge of the berth, he smoothed his thumb over one of the youngling's cheek arches wiping away the clear optic fluid and gaining the attention of his son.

"I remember once when I dislocated my sensory panels." The tactician began "your uncle 'Cade and I were having a scuffle when we were younglings when we fell off our parents berth and we both managed to dislocate our wings, I have to admit though your uncle looked rather funny with one of his wings sticking up."

"Ouch." Bluestreak mumbled "but uncle 'Cade doesn't have wings though?"

The Dodge Charger hesitated briefly "He … did once but he had to have them removed." He would never tell Bluestreak that Barricade had them removed because he no longer wanted to be reminded of the family he had left behind at the time when he joined the Decepticons or the weakness they provided.

"Oh." The little grey mechlet replied.

Ratchet watched with a small smile as Prowl recited a few of his tales about his own sensory panels to his creation in order to keep his mind off what the medic was doing, before he began his work on the little one's sensory panels. He decided to work on the right one first by cleaning it up and repairing any damage to the overlapping plates, but luckily enough the derma-plating had only been scraped which meant he could treat it with anti-septic and cover it with a patch of flexi-seal until it healed.

"Alright Blue you're going to feel a slight pressure on your back whilst I pop your wing back in." The medic informed Bluestreak as he met Prowl's gaze.

"Okay." The youngling mumbled meekly before curling in on himself. The tactician nodded his consent for the CMO to proceed before he began humming softly, he knew how unpleasant it was to have a sensory panel manipulated back into place, but it was always the crack that signified it had been popped back into place that always made him cringe. He watched as the Hummer gently gripped the bottom edge of the panel and twisted it up and around gently before one harsh tug had it snapping back into place with a loud _crack_. Bluestreak cringed at the sound before he made the attempt to see if his winglet was back in place only to feel a hand hold him in place on the berth. None too happy about that fact, the youngling grunted and clicked irritably at the medic.

"Not yet youngling I'm not finished." Ratchet told him as he picked up a couple of his tools and began fixing any damage done to the joint, lucky enough the little grey mechlet had only strained the muscle cables and fluid lines which would heal on their own "okay I'm done now, you can sit up but slowly alright?" Bluestreak nodded before he attempted to push himself up, he had heard enough tales from Sideswipe about what the medic would do to a bot if they didn't listen to his instructions, although he doubted the olé Hatchet would harm him when his father was stood next to his berth.

"All done now?" Bluestreak asked as he glanced over his shoulders at the drooping sensory panels.

"Yes all done, but you won't feel them for another couple of hours and I don't want you fluttering that left panel too much, you have to let it heal." The medic explained "now for being a good lad for me, here." The CMO produced a small container from his sub-space and Bluestreak perked up at the sight of it. Prowl cocked his head to the side in an imitation of an eye roll as he pulled himself up onto berth next to his creation, although the goodies were a nice reward for the youngling being brave throughout this whole ordeal, the small pink glowing bars had a tendency to send his son into a state of hyperactivity if he consumed too many. The tactician watched as Bluestreak plucked out a couple of treats from the tub before offering it back to the medic.

"Thank you." The little one responded. Ratchet offered him a small smile in return.

"It's alright little one, and once you've eaten them, I want you to rest for a little while." The CMO told the youngling, Bluestreak nodded as he nibbled upon one of the energon goodies. The young Cybertronian shifted himself entirely once he had eaten the second treat and clambered into his father's lap. He nestled himself quite comfortably against warm plating and powered down his systems for recharge. Ratchet chuckled at the sight of the little grey mechlet snuggled into his sire and was tempted to open his mouth plates and tell Prowl he was becoming a big softy, but a simple gesture of the tactician raising a single optic ridge at him made his decide otherwise. He left father and son so he could file a medical report and catch up on the rest of his work before his skills were needed again.

During the next couple of hours, a few of the other Autobots and a couple of the humans namely Sam, Mikaela, Major Lennox, Master Sergeant Epps and Sergeant Graham dropped by the med-bay to see how Bluestreak was doing after news about his fall circulated the base. The tactician told them that his creation was going to be fine and even had to threaten the twins with brig time if they didn't leave the repair bay, Sideswipe had been none too happy about that and neither had Sunstreaker but none the less the pair headed back to the recreation room before their shifts started. The tactician glanced up when he heard the doors to the med-bay whoosh open and was about to admonish the twins again when he saw the familiar silver form of his mate.

_**:://Hey.\\::**_ Jazz greeted him as he made his way across the room to the berth he was currently sat upon.

_**:://Hey, how was long range patrol?\\:: **_The Dodge Charger inquired as he continued his gentle and soothing strokes upon the youngling's back plates, Bluestreak was still happily nestled into his chest and abdominal plates and Prowl knew it was highly unlikely the little grey mechlet would give up his comfortable position freely.

_**:://We ran into a couple of seagulls.\\:: **_The saboteur replied _**:://nothin' happened, th' 'cons were quiet, How's lil Blue?\\::**_

_**:://Ratchet's said he's going to be fine.\\::**_ The tactician told him.

The Solstice vented a sigh out of his intakes_** :://That's good ta hear.\\::**_ However he could tell something wasn't quite right about his bonded _**:://Prowl?\\::**_

_**:://It was my fault Jazz, if I had been watching him more closely ...\\:: **_The Dodge Charger trailed off, guilt was just starting to settle in his spark with its icy fingers.

_**:://Prowler ya couldn't have predicted what was goin' ta happen an' even if ya had been watchin' 'im more closely, he still might have fallen.\\:: **_Jazz replied trying to provide some sort of reassurance to his bonded.

_**:://He wouldn't have dislocated his left sensory panel.\\:: **_Prowl bit back, door wings drooping upon his back.

_**:://No he might not have done.\\::**_ The saboteur began _**:://Prowl ya can't blame yaself for this, lil Blue's gonna have his bumps and scrapes from time ta time. Or are ya gonna blame yaself for those as well?\\:: **_The tactician vented a heavy sigh.

_**:://I can't help but feel responsible for this.\\:: **_The Dodge Charger told him. The Solstice gently gripped one of his mate's upper arms and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Jazz offered him a small smile _**:://I know love and if it makes ya feel any better, 'Cade shot the bugger who was responsible for all of this.\\:: **_

Prowl frowned _**:://He does realise that the wildlife on this island is protected?\\::**_

The saboteur shrugged his shoulders _**:://He didn't seem at all concerned, although last I saw of him Galloway was givin' him a chewin' out, I don't need an imagination to know what ole 'Cade will do to the fragger.\\::**_ The tactician cocked his head to the side in an imitation of an eye roll before he glanced down when he felt their son stir.

"Hey baby." The Solstice greeted their youngling as baby blue optics un-shuttered and came on-line.

"Hey daddy." The little one replied before issuing a small moan of pain "they're startin' ta hurt again."

"I'll get Ratch." Jazz said before disappearing to the medic's office.

Prowl felt his spark constrict on itself when he heard Bluestreak whine and try to bury his head in his father's chest plates "Easy Blue." The tactician glanced up when he heard a pair of footsteps approach and met Ratchet's gaze, the medic scanned the youngling with a portable scanner before clucking his glossa in a mother hen fashion and proceeding across to one of his cabinets. The CMO returned moments later with another vial in his hand and a small measuring cup, he had planned to inject the mild painkiller and sedative but he knew there was a chance the youngling wasn't going to be complacent and allow him to do it so instead he decided to see if he could get Bluestreak to ingest another one he had prepared instead.

"Blue." Ratchet called softly, baby blue optics peered at him "I want you to take this for me." The little grey mechlet shook his head before hissing in pain.

"Blue baby it'll take away the pain I promise." Jazz assured his offspring, Bluestreak seemed to contemplate this before sitting up fully and taking the proffered cup. He glanced up at his sire and Prowl offered him a small smile, the youngling then quickly swallowed the liquid and cringed at the bitter after taste.

"Yuck." He grumbled which prompted a chuckle from his parents and the medic, he gave back the cup and settled against his father again whilst trying to ignore the dull ache from his sensory panels. It wasn't long before the medicine began to take effect and the youngling began to fall back into recharge.

"I want to keep Bluestreak in over night for observation then I'll release him in the morning." Ratchet told the concerned parents "now I suggest the pair of you also get some recharge, you're both welcome to stay since I know you won't go back to quarters."

"Thanks Ratch." Jazz replied, the medic nodded before disappearing back to his office. The saboteur turned to his mate "I'll be back shortly, I need ta turn ma report in ta Optimus." Prowl nodded before he shifted to lie down upon one of his sides on the berth, Bluestreak protested at his father moving but quickly dropped off back into recharge. The Solstice smiled at the sight of his mate and child before he left the med-bay, their youngling was going to be alright and Jazz knew it would be the first of many sensory panel injuries to come.

* * * * * * * * * *

A/N: *yep the same ones from the first one shot. The next one is: Of Younglings and Seekers, another one shot requested.


	7. Bonus Scenes

Okay I really want to thank everyone whose reviewed so far and made me a happy author, you guys are really awesome. Now I have, before the next request fic to goes up, a couple of bonus scenes for two of the previous chapters.

**Warnings:** use of profanities, a little fluff and once again Galloway bashing

_:/blah\: - Internal Communication_

* * * * * * * * * *

**Title:** Of Younglings and Saboteurs – Bonus Scene requested by **optimusprime007**

_As Ratchet looked over Jazz, Prowl contemplated going to Optimus and asking to be assigned somewhere, anywhere in the world as he distinctly hated it when the saboteur became ill as although the Solstice knew how to look after himself, he tended to be become rather moody and ill tempered. But as much as he wanted too, the tactician knew he couldn't abandon his mate and decided to keep the Solstice happy and complacent during the next few days of his illness. He just prayed to Primus that Bluestreak would not come down with it again or he was certainly going to have his hands full._

Once Ratchet had examined his bonded then left their quarters, Prowl was given the task of getting Bluestreak into recharge. The little one was more concerned about his carrier then going to sleep but after some cajoling from his father, the youngling clambered up onto his berth and settled down for the night, although not without a couple of stories from his father or his blanket and stuffed toy being retrieved from the living room. Then once the little grey mechlet was tucked up on his berth, the tactician left his son's bedroom and headed toward his shared one. He entered the room and stopped at the sight before him, he shook his head in amusement when he saw his mate sprawled out on their berth, no doubt he had simply collapsed upon it before slipping into recharge which meant Prowl was now tasked with the effort of shifting him to the other side of the berth. The Dodge Charger crept across the room and gently and carefully as he could he began rearranging Jazz to make extra room on the berth, the saboteur grumbled at him as Prowl rolled the Solstice onto his side but he quickly fell back into recharge. With one bond-mate now moved, the tactician was able to slip onto the berth and lay down beside the silver mech. He had been ready to simply drop off into recharge when he felt a pressure upon his abdominal plates, he on-lined his optics to see Jazz trying to push himself away from his frame. Prowl frowned at the unusual show of behaviour and wondered what he had done to upset his mate within such a small margin of time only for his sensors to detect a subtle change in the saboteur's core temperature and outer plating. The tactician shuffled backwards so the heat from his own frame didn't aggravate his spark-mate's current condition any further before he began powering down his systems, however the Dodge Charger had a niggling feeling he wasn't going to be in recharge for very long.

* * * * *

It was normally rare for Prowl to be startled out of recharge but when the sudden movement from Jazz jolted him out of recharge, he on-lined his optics and un-shuttered them to be met with the dimly lit room. He pushed himself up onto his elbows as he switched his optical sensors to night vision before he glanced in his mates direction and instantly he felt his spark clench inside of its chamber when he saw the saboteur sat on the edge of the berth with his head between his knees and one arm wrapped firmly around his mid-section. Prowl sat up fully and shifted himself to sit beside his mate who was visibly trembling and he could hear the silver mech pulling in deep intakes of air.

"Jazz?" He inquired with concern lacing the tone of his voice, the black and white mech rested a hand upon his mate's back where he began rubbing soothing circles upon the smooth silver plating.

"Grab that bin." Was the Solstice's reply "now least ya want me to paint th' floor pink." Sensing the new found urgency, the tactician pushed himself off from the berth and hastily grabbed the bin on the other side of the room, pulling the lid off the top of it and shoving it beneath Jazz. The silver mech pulled himself up a little straighter before dry heaving once followed by the sickening splatter of liquid hitting the bottom of the bin on the second heave. Prowl sat back down next to the Solstice and resumed rubbing soothing circles upon the silver back plates, he didn't envy his mate in the slightest with contracting Rust spot especially since Ratchet had high lighted the fact it could be much worse than Bluestreak's case, the tactician just hoped that it wasn't going to be the case or he might just have to ask Barricade to take Bluestreak to look after him whilst he attended to his mate during his illness.

The Dodge Charger was brought out of his thoughts when he felt the saboteur shift so he could collapse upon the edge of the berth, his optics were dim and unfocused. Prowl pushed himself up from the berth, stepped round the soiled bin and crouched down in front of his bond-mate. Instantly he felt Jazz's optics settle upon him and a small tired and apologetic smile appeared upon his facial plates, the Dodge Charger gently gripped one of his hands with his own whilst the other rested upon the side of his mate's helm where he smoothed his thumb over the silver mech's visible cheek.

"Sorry ta hav' woken ya." Jazz croaked.

Prowl gave him a small smile in response "It's fine love, don't worry about it."

"Bet ya never expected ta come home ta this?" The Solstice inquired as he rolled over onto his back keeping the arm he had wrapped about his midsection in place.

"No I didn't." Prowl replied as he managed to get Jazz to shuffle over so he could sit down upon the edge of the berth "want me to contact Ratchet to give you something for the nausea?"

"I'll be fine, th' worst of its passed." The saboteur replied.

Prowl wasn't quite convinced "Are you sure?"

"Urgh slag no, call 'im." The silver mech responded as he pushed himself up and over to heave into the bin once again, Prowl frowned as he watched his mate purge the last remnants of his fuel tank before the saboteur slumped over the tactician's lap with a groan, too tired to push himself back over to lie down.

The Dodge Charger opened a comm. link _:/Prowl to Ratchet.\:_

_:/You better have a good reason for calling me at this Primus forsaken hour of the night.\: _Came Ratchet's gruff and some what sleepy response.

_:/I'm sorry Ratchet, but I was wondering if you could give Jazz something for his nausea?\: _Prowl inquired, he glanced toward the door way to the bedroom when he heard a sound only to see baby blue optics peering round the door frame at him.

_:/Alright I'll be there as soon as I can.\: _The medic replied before turning off the comm. link, although not without grumbling at the tactician first for being inconsiderate.

"Father? Is daddy gonna be alright?" A timid little voice asked.

"I'm cool Blue." Jazz replied although it was some what muffled as his helm was tucked into the crook of one of his elbows. The saboteur then protested when his bond-mate moved off the berth, feeling his source of warmth disappear the Solstice curled in on himself. The Dodge Charger turned from his spark-mate to the youngling and beckoned the little grey mechlet into the room, Bluestreak slipped into the room clutching one of his soft toys in his arms. The youngling trotted over over to his father and glanced up at him, little sensory panels waving back and forth. Prowl offered him a small reassuring smile before picking his son up and settling him on his right hip.

"Let's get you back to bed." The tactician said softly.

"But I wanna stay with you an' daddy." Bluestreak whined as he tried to give his sire the kicked turbo puppy look, no doubt something he had learned from Sideswipe.

"He's fine love, leave 'im here." The Solstice said as he rolled over onto his back. The Dodge Charger was unsure of whether to comply or not, but none the less he set the youngling down upon the large berth and watched as he snuggled into one of Jazz's sides. The black and white mech allowed a small smile to tug at his lip components at the scene before him then moved to get rid of the bin and its unpleasant contents. In fact he was just coming back from the wash rack when a less than pleased Ratchet arrived, Prowl led him to the main bedroom and stepped aside so the medic could enter. The CMO scanned both creator and creation before administering an antiemetic to the saboteur.

"They're both fine, although I'm surprised Jazz's symptoms have manifested so quickly." Ratchet said in a low voice as he moved to stand beside the 2IC.

The tactician frowned at him in concern "Which means?"

"Nothing to worry about, the fragger's symptoms are only showing up sooner because he allowed himself to get run down whilst looking after Bluestreak." The medic replied before turning to leave "I'll check on them in the morning, but right now I want to go back to recharge its been a slaggin' long day." The Dodge Charger simply nodded and watched the CMO leave before returning his gaze to his family, he had a feeling things were going to be hectic for the next few days.

* * * * *

Prowl didn't realise how much those words would come to haunt him whilst his mate was berth ridden. He had been lucky enough the first day as Jazz slept off the usual aches and the fever which had sent his core temperature sky rocketing, not that the saboteur had a choice about resting as Ratchet pumped his systems full of sedatives and antivirals. So the tactician only had Bluestreak to contend with but even then the youngling had surprised him by simply sitting beside him all day drawing and colouring or playing quietly with some of his toys whilst his father worked through any reports handed his way. But once the Solstice's fever passed, the Dodge Charger swore someone had replaced his mate with a juvenile as the normally happy go lucky saboteur had become the unmaker himself. The black and white mech had only ever seen this behaviour before, but the last time he had seen it was when his bonded had been carrying Bluestreak. Prowl understood that the rashes were irritating, however he knew Jazz wasn't doing himself any favours by scratching them as it only made them more sore and painful. He had told the saboteur numerous times to leave them alone (after all there couldn't be one rule for him and one rule for Bluestreak), only to be snapped at leaving him disgruntled. Even keeping his spark-mate on the berth was becoming a chore as Jazz refused to remain there even after Ratchet had threatened to weld him to it if he didn't stay down. He understood that his mate didn't like to be 'mommy coddled' as the humans called it, but the saboteur wasn't doing himself any favours by wearing himself down so Prowl eventually allowed him to remain on the couch in their living room on the condition that he didn't get up from it unless he really needed too.

Luckily enough Bluestreak had been spared from his carrier's ire but he could tell there was tension between his parents, and as soon as his own Rust spot cleared (well except for the peach coloured patches that would fade with time), the youngling spent time out of the living quarters with his guardians and caretakers. The tactician was grateful to those who volunteered to help out with either watching over Bluestreak, sitting with Jazz (a chore not many liked doing as the saboteur tended to chew them out if they even so much as twitched near him) or covering the 2IC's and the 3IC's work loads until the Solstice was finally cleared for light duty. However Jazz wasn't always moody and ill tempered whilst he was infected with the Rust spot, and Prowl was glad to see his mate's normal behaviour returning, well up until he had to help bath the saboteur. The tactician had learnt quickly that the rashes actually made his spark-mate's metal skin all that more sensitive, so he had been taken by complete surprise when the saboteur had overloaded in the tub after a few strokes from the soft bristled brush. He had gotten away without receiving an audio full as the silver mech was simply too exhausted to give him one, but he had quickly discovered that he needed to use different pressures when it came to the patches upon his mate's back without sending the Solstice into overload again.

The tactician was drawn out of his musings of the past few days when he felt a subtle brush against one of his forearms as he gently scrubbed Jazz's back plates with the soft bristled brush, he could hear a faint complacent purring sound coming from his bonded's vocaliser. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lip components, at least the saboteur was in a good mood which meant he might be able to get the silver mech to ingest more than half a mug of energon tonight.

"Prowler I wanna apologise." The Solstice grumbled tiredly.

"What for?" Prowl inquired as he rinsed away the soap suds on his mate's back before placing the brush on the side of the tub.

"For bein' such a glitch these past few days." Jazz replied.

"Jazz I didn't expect you to be all 'sunshine and roses' as you would put it throughout this whole ordeal." The tactician told his mate as he stood, he then moved to retrieve a towel from the shelves on the opposite side of the room before returning to his mate's side.

"But still mech …" The saboteur began only to be silenced by one of the Dodge Charger's index fingers pressing against his lip components, silencing him.

"Think nothing of it." The black and white mech replied before he stood upright holding the towel open for his bonded "now are you going to get out or do you plan to sit there and rust?" The silver mech shot his spark-mate a playful glare only to receive a smirk in return, then he pushed himself up and stepped over the side of the tub and into the waiting warmth of the towel and his bonded's arms "let's get you dried." Jazz heard Prowl whisper into his left audio before leading him out of the wash rack and towards their room. The tactician herded him into the room before leaving then returning moments later with a steaming mug of energon, the saboteur took it from him and sipped the glowing pink liquid quietly whilst his mate began gently drying parts of his plating. The Solstice drank half of it and was about to put it down when a stern look from the Dodge Charger told him that his mate wanted to see the whole mug drained.

"You're enjoyin' this far too much." The silver mech said as he stretched his left leg fully so the black and white mech could fully dry underneath the limb.

"Hardly." Prowl replied although the subtle twitching of his door wings said otherwise, Jazz was about to open his mouth plates and make a comment when they heard the doors to their quarters whoosh open followed swiftly by a patter of pedes that belonged to only one individual on the base.

"Father! Dad!" They heard the youngling call before an excited bundle of grey parts appeared in their room "ya should have seen it dad, father. Olé Ironhide nearly stepped on Lennox an' Optimus nearly squashed Galloway." Both of Bluestreak's creators looked at one another, confused expressions upon their facial plates until the saboteur's expression turned into one of disgust when the tactician suddenly 'sneezed' "eww father's backfirin' like the others." The youngling gave his sire a wide berth as he moved to his carrier's side.

"Sounds like someone else has it." Came a voice from the door way, the family of three glanced across to see Ratchet just outside of the room.

"And what would 'it' be?" The Dodge Charger asked, he had been feeling fine a few momemts ago and now he felt somewhat weary.

"The humans call it the 'common cold' and you fraggers brought it back here to the base." The medic replied sternly whilst ignoring how Bluestreak clamped his hands over his mouth at hearing the CMO cuss "I want the pair of you in the med-bay as no doubt you've probably infected your mate with it." The Solstice drew away from his bonded whilst Prowl simply cocked his head to the side in an imitation of an eye roll "today mechs if you don't mind." The bonded pair got to their pedes and began making their way out of their room.

"What about Blue?" Jazz asked.

"Uncle 'Cade said I had to stay with him until you both got better." The little grey mechlet told his carrier "and Ratchet said I don't have it."

"That's good ta hear." The saboteur said, the last thing he wanted was for Bluestreak to get this 'cold' when the youngling had just recovered from having Rust spot.

"Indeed." The tactician replied before hissing and recoiling away from his spark-mate when the Solstice clipped his right forearm.

"If I get this 'cold', you're a dead mech." The silver mech snapped at his bonded only to receive a light glare in return.

"Younglings play nice." The CMO admonished the pair which had Bluestreak giggling. Prowl vented a sigh out of his intakes as the four continued on to the med-bay, he really didn't want to be berth ridden when there was still a base to run.

Silence passed between them as they continued their trek until Jazz decided to break it "So who do you think th' bigger whiner will be? Optimus or Ironhide?"

Yep the tactician was not going to enjoy this hopefully short stay in quarantine in the slightest.

* * *

**Title:** Of Younglings and Door wings – Bonus scene requested by **renegadewriter8 **on LJ

He was like a dark foreboding presence as he stalked out of the base at Diego Garcia and made his way onto the beach. He headed to the very same spot his younger brother and a certain youngling had been out on a couple of hours before the incident that had sent the young Cybertronian to the med-bay with a dislocated sensory panel. The aches not to mention the pain a single wing appendage could emanate was one of the many reasons why Barricade had his own removed thousands of years ago, not too mention the weakness they provided for the enemy to exploit. The shock trooper didn't envy the little one's recovery in the slightest however he knew he was in very capable hands. But right now the Mustang had one simple objective in mind; make the critter pay for spooking Bluestreak.

Barricade made his way silently to the rock pools the youngling had been exploring earlier and drew his weapon from sub-space. He was glad to have the plasma rifle back in his hands permanently without the Autobots panicking over the issue of who he planned to terminate in their recharge or when their backs were turned. The shock trooper thumbed the safety off when skilled crimson optics fell upon the familiar form of a large crustacean, he understood that there was a law in place that protected the coconut crabs from poachers, but as far as he was concerned it didn't exist for this creature. His more rational side did point out that it might not be the same crustacean, however he felt he needed to get 'revenge' for Bluestreak regardless. The Mustang powered up the rifle and fired a single shot at the coconut crab half submerged in a rock pool, the creature was instantly vaporised leaving nothing but a scorch mark upon the rock it had been resting upon. However the single burst of weapons fire lit up on the sensor net the Autobots had put in place around the island, which meant Barricade suddenly had a frantic Red Alert demanding to know what was going on. The shock trooper happily informed him that he had simply exterminated a certain critter which immediately brought the wrath of a certain irritating individual down upon him. The Mustang however simply cut off Galloway's rant by turning off the radio link. Barricade knew the human wouldn't be done with him and expected to see the Director the moment he got back to the base, not that he was concerned. After all Galloway was simply one human and there was plenty more coconut crabs infesting the island.

With his task now completed, Barricade headed back to the military installation, he decided he would drop into the Autobot medic's lair to check up on the young Cybertronian just to make sure he was going to be fine. But right now he had to get past a particular irate human who was striding across the tarmac toward him, the shock trooper easily spotted Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps following after the human liaison. No doubt the pair had tried to stop him from confronting the ex-con, although he knew the two men were no doubt curious to see how the Mustang was going to deal with Galloway this time.

"You!" The Director snapped as he approached the black and white mech "you are not authorised to fire a weapon unless you are within the training areas or are under attack from the Decepticons, is that clear?"

"Crystal." The shock trooper responded with a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lip components. He had to admit the human had guts going up against him when he knew fully well the ex-con didn't follow the same rules as the Autobots.

"And as for your breach in the law against the protected wildlife here, do you have any idea what problems you may have caused by carrying out a supposed act of revenge?" Galloway demanded.

"No but I'm sure you're about to tell me regardless." The Mustang muttered, he spotted the familiar alt. mode of his brother's bond-mate leave the C17 that had just landed before converting to root mode.

_:/What mischief have ya been causin' now?\: _The Autobot's saboteur transmitted to him.

Crimson optics narrowed _:/Mischief? I don't dabble in mischief Autobot.\:_

_:/Alright what have ya done to set off the imp Galloway?\:_ Jazz inquired.

_:/I may have killed a member of a protected species, but not without good reason.\:_ Barricade responded _:/anyway don't you have a youngling to get too?\:_

_:/I'm on my way down there now, just … play nice.\: _The Solstice told him before he disappeared into the base.

A smirk overtook the shock trooper's lip components at the silver mech's parting words. Him play nice? Hardly especially when it came to one particularly irritating human who was still ranting at him, however the Director had moved on from his infraction of the protection law and was now complaining about how the Cybertronians had a knack for infringing several of the rules, not too mention laws that had been set in place. Finally deciding that he had, had enough, the Mustang drew his plasma rifle from sub-space and aimed it at the human. The sudden click of a safety being thumbed off had both Lennox and Epps reaching for their weapons, but a subtle shift in Barricade's body language had them stand down.

"W-what do you think your d-doing?" Galloway demanded fearfully as he stared down a glowing purple nozzle of the ex-con's rifle.

"Getting rid of a proverbial pain the aft fleshling." The shock trooper responded darkly, he watched in satisfaction as the human swallowed nervously before all colour faded from his face and the man fainted. Both the Major and the Master Sergeant glanced at one another before they burst out laughing whilst the Mustang reactivated the safety switch on his weapon and sub-spacing it before he folded his arms across his chest. Well that was two tasks he had managed to complete today, the first getting 'revenge' for his nephew, the second being scaring the daylights out of Galloway and getting him to faint like a femme. And now he needed to disappear under the radar before a certain paranoid security director raised the alarm that he had supposedly tried to kill a human. Not that he would deny it. After all he had not been the first once who had wanted to kill Galloway or at least frighten him senseless anyway.

* * * * * * * * * *

**A/N:** The plot bunnies bit so I had to write them regardless *heads desk* Now up next is: Of Younglings and Seekers


	8. Of Younglings and Raptors

**Title:** Of Younglings and Seekers

**Rating:** K+

**Universe:** Movie 07/09 verse (AU)

**Characters: **Youngling Bluestreak, Prowl, Barricade, Hound, Sunstreaker and a certain Aerial Commander

**Warnings: **Fluff, use of profanities **May contain spoilers for Reign of Starscream, TF Defiance, ROTF and possibly the next chap of Renascentia**

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition.

**Summary:** Starscream discovers that not all Autobots are afraid of him

A request from **Hiding In My Writing**, so here it is Hun hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! This one shot was inspired by Starscream's behaviour toward the hatchlings in the 2009 movie.

* * * * * * * * * *

It was a fact. Starscream officially hated Earth, not that he liked the tiny little mud ball in the first place. There was only one reason why he had come to this pathetic planet in the first place, and that had been to retrieve the Allspark before the Autobots did. The F22 Raptor had been quite happy to proceed back to Cybertron and put his plans into motion which included building a new Allspark and ridding himself of the last remnants of Autobot resistance. However those plans had quickly been blown to the pits as although he had managed to create a new Allspark per se, two forces had stopped him from taking control of Cybertron; naturally the Autobots were there to stop him after they had seen some of their comrades sparks being sacrificed for the supposed new cube, then there was that snivelling back stabbing coward Dreadwing who had thrown a spanner in the works. So now here he was back on this miserable little planet looking for large quantities of energy that could be converted into energon and then shipped back to the Nemesis where numerous cocooned hatchlings were depending upon it for survival. Starscream had been none too pleased when the newly resurrected Megatron (an unprecedented factor in his new plans that had involved restoring the original Allspark) demanded a total rebuild of the Nemesis, which meant much of the materials and the last watts of energy keeping the hatchlings alive had been removed and rerouted. The F22 Raptor had pleaded (an act he found disgusting) to his leader to spare at least thirty percent of the hatchlings, only to be granted with half that number. Now he understood why the Autobots were so over protective of one small life to the point they would die for him, however that was one difference between him and them as if it came down to it, he would rather sacrifice a couple of hatchlings to spare his own life.

The Decepticon's 2IC and Aerial commander had never been fond of sparklings or younglings unless of course they were either in a maturation sac or in recharge since they couldn't irritate him with their ceaseless babble, but what was more irritating for Starscream was the line of coding woven into his programming that compelled him when needed too, to protect either a sparkling or a youngling from harm. The F22 Raptor had tried to delete the coding on many occasions but it was simply too far woven into his programming to get rid of it. Of course Megatron knew of its existence and used it to keep Starscream and his trine mates in order by either terminating or sparing a young Cybertronian, however the aerial commander only became more bitter rather than subservient like his comrades had become, with each hatchling sacrificed.

But right now he had other things to preoccupy his mind with such as his aerial patrol which was soon coming to an end as well as his ordered search for a new energon source. The silver Raptor dropped to a new altitude and stretched his sensors as far as he could although they could barely penetrate through the thick fog that had suddenly enclosed around him. Starscream knew he had two options; either rise above it and miss a potential energon source on the ground or continue through it and run the risk of running into an unforeseen object. He decided upon his third choice; land and wait to see if the fog lifted or at least thinned out. After all he wasn't due to report in for another few hours at least. The silver Raptor transformed into his root mode and descended through the trees until his clawed pedes touched the cold, dew covered ground below. His crimson optics immediately scanned his surroundings whilst keen audio receptors listened out for any sound that could prove harmful to him, but so far all he could hear was birds singing in the trees and the wind rustling the leaves and the undergrowth. Starscream knew he was vulnerable out here since the Autobots and the humans NEST teams conducted long range patrols in various parts of the world, but the Raptor was more than capable of taking on any Autobot stupid enough to attack him.

Then he heard it. A rustle in the undergrowth not far from his position, he knew there was a chance that it could be one of this planet's many lifeforms heading in his direction. But what he was not prepared for was the Cybertronian energy signature his sensors suddenly detected. The silver Raptor snarled to himself and powered up his weapons.

"Slag's sake, can't get five fraggin' minutes of peace." Starscream cursed as he watched the spot where he thought his enemy would appear from vigilantly. However what he was not prepared for was the sight of a small grey form stumbling out from the undergrowth, little sensory panels held high in distress. The Raptor wasn't sure what to make of the sight before him or whether he should feel lucky that the Autobot's youngling was but a few metres away, he knew that if the bitlet was here then the other Autobots couldn't be that far away, it was just a question of where of how far? Starscream deactivated his weapons systems and shifted slightly on his pedes instantly alerting the small grey Cybertronian to his presence, the distraught youngling froze before baby blue optics met crimson ones. The Raptor watched as sensory panels drooped down upon the little one's back whilst absolute fear began to show in the youngling's frame and optics. Suddenly the irritating youngling protection programming sprung to life much to Starscream's annoyance and began relaying instructions on how to deal with the frightened little one before him, the Raptor grumbled to himself as it went against his Decepticon morals but none the less he lowered himself into a crouch slowly as not to startle the young Cybertronian nor intimidate him with his height.

"It's alright little one." Starscream said softly as he held his clawed hands up in a placating manner, he noticed how closely the youngling was watching him, gauging his actions. A trait no doubt inherited from his troublesome (to the Decepticons anyway) parents "I won't harm you." The youngling still refused to move from where he was frozen to the spot so the Raptor decided to scrutinise him closely, the little one was perfectly healthy in every way and his current rate of development showed that he would be coming up for his next upgrade very shortly. He also happened to notice the distinct likeness he had to the Autobot's 2IC, except the chevron and the wings were different in their unique way, which showed good strong Praxian genes, although now the pure genetic imprint had been tainted by whatever 'breed' of Cybertronian the Autobot saboteur was.

"You're not like the others." A timid voice said drawing Starscream out of his reverie.

The Raptor glanced at the youngling curiously "Oh what makes you say that?"

"The others would have grabbed me by now or started sayin' nasty words about Optimus and the others." The little one replied "and you would have called ole bucket head here by now." Starscream quirked an optic ridge up in amusement. Old Bucket head? There had to be no doubt that the youngling was referring to Megatron, after all that insult was often used by the other Autobots amongst other ones.

"I might have already done so and he could be on his way here now to claim you." The silver Raptor said, he saw a frown appear upon the little one's facial plates, a reaction completely different to the one he had been expecting.

"Daddy says its not nice to lie." The youngling scolded him, little sensory panels flaring. Starscream was startled slightly by that. Was it that easy for the little mechlet to read him "you don't like old mean bucket head so you haven't called him."

'Brave and smart.' The Raptor though to himself "You're right little one, I don't like him."

The youngling frowned "Then why do you listen to him if he's mean and bossy?"

Starscream stared at the small grey mechlet, was he really having this conversation with a juvenile? He wasn't exactly sure how to answer the young Autobot as he had far too many reasons why he still followed the Decepticon tyrant, the unborn hatchlings aboard the Nemesis being one of them. The Raptor saw the expectant look upon the little one's facial plates and knew he was waiting for an answer, but Starscream decided to steer the youngling away from the current topic.

"Where are the other Autobots?" Starscream asked.

"I don't know." The little one replied quietly, sensory panels drooping upon his back "I wandered off when I'm not supposed too and now I'm lost and they don't know where I am." The Raptor was surprised at that revelation, he knew he could quite easily take advantage of the situation and grab the youngling, but the fragging line of coding blatantly told him that he was to protect the little one not harm him in anyway. However he couldn't help but laugh at the idiotic Autobots irresponsibility by losing their most precious member.

"Wandering off can be dangerous for younglings." Starscream told the little one as he folded one leg beneath him and sat on it before resting his right forearm upon the still raised bent knee joint. Crimson optics never leaving the small grey form who was clutching his hands tightly in front of his chest plates.

"I know but I don't know what to do." The little grey mechlet uttered.

"I assume you don't know how to send out a signal beacon?" The Raptor inquired, the youngling glanced at him in confusion before shaking his helm "obviously not, fraggin' stupid Autobots do they not teach their young anything about survival."

A scowl appeared upon the little one's facial plates whilst sensory panels flared "That's not very nice, take that back!" An amused smile curled one side of Starscream's lip components, if this young Autobot had been another from his faction, the Raptor would have terminated him by now for his insolence. However the Decepticon 2IC was fascinated by the mere fact that this youngling was not in the least bit frightened by him which meant he was either stupid or very brave.

Suddenly thunder rumbled overhead which had Starscream cursing vehemently under his breath as the last thing he wanted was to be caught out in the middle of a rain storm, he was about to transform into his terrestrial form so he could escape the storm before it truly moved in, but distressed whimpers from the youngling had him change his mind entirely. After all despite his Decepticon nature, he couldn't possibly leave the little one stranded in the middle of a thunderstorm. Another clap of thunder echoed across sky which had the youngling unexpectedly running toward him and tucking his little cold grey form into his left side. The Raptor was taken by complete surprise at the rather bold move and was about to push the little one away when the clouds finally dropped their load upon them. Starscream heard the distressed whimpers being intermittently broken by sparkling clicks and warbles from the Autobot youngling before he found himself picking the little one up and cradling him closer to his chassis. The youngling let out a whirl from his vocaliser before snuggling in closer to the warm plating before resting his helm against broad chest plates where he could hear the strong steady beating of a fuel pump and the pulsing of a spark.

"See you're different." The little one murmured before flinching when another clap of thunder rumbled above them.

"Hmm." The silver Raptor hummed as he minutely tightened his hold on the youngling. He allowed his mind to wander although he kept his senses sharp, after all he didn't want to be caught out by the Autobots when they came looking for the little one or by his own faction. He couldn't quite describe the emotion he was feeling towards the youngling at that moment in time as he sheltered him from the storm, besides the strong protective want clouding parts of his processor. He knew that this would be the only opportunity he would get at being able to hold a young life in his arms as the hatchlings aboard the Nemesis were likely to either die or as soon as they reached the emergence stage, their sparks would be transplanted into adult protoforms. He suddenly felt a lot more angry at Megatron for the destruction of so many young lives, although the Decepticon tyrant would tell him that it had all been for the 'good' of the 'cause'. Starscream snorted at that, the air escaping from his vents appearing as a white mist before him. The so called 'cause' Megatron had started out with all those millennia ago had been lost through the long years of waging a war over first the lack of support from Optimus' team when it came to protecting their home planet from alien attacks, to the rule over Cybertron and then over the possession of the Allspark.

The silver Raptor glanced up past the tree tops to see the storm beginning to intensify in its ferocity, he knew he could be there for a while so he powered down all non-essential systems although he kept his external temperature the same before settling into wait for the moment he could leave.

* * * * *

Prowl was worried. In fact he was just about ready to fry his logic circuits with the worry consuming his frame. His fuel pump was beating frantically in his chest as was his spark when he continued to see no sign of his son anywhere. The tactician cursed himself for letting Bluestreak out of his sight for just a single second, and now he had lost him in the forest in a thick fog and now a thunderstorm as the warm weather front continued to move in. His door wings twitched back and forth, their sensors extended to their highest limits in order to make sure that no minute energy signature went unnoticed. The others which consisted of Barricade, Hound and Sunstreaker were also concerned for the youngling's well being as they continued their frantic search for the young Autobot. The former of the two were a few metres ahead trying to track down any sign that his creation had come this way, but the heavy rain wasn't making it easy for them in the slightest. He couldn't help but think of the possibilities that Bluestreak could have fallen and was now seriously injured somewhere or his worst fear; the youngling had run into Decepticons.

The Dodge Charger knew that if they didn't find Bluestreak now then they would have to request for another team join him in the search which meant that there was a chance that Prowl would never hear the end of this from his bonded. Suddenly his door wings flared upwards when they detected an energy signature not far from their position, however it was not the one he was hoping for.

"I'm detecting a Decepticon signal several hundred metres to the south west of our position." The tactician reported.

"Same here." Hound responded.

"Frag it all to the pit and back, I've found Bluestreak's tracks and they slaggin' head in that same direction." Barricade told them as he stood up fully drawing his weapon from sub-space. The Dodge Charger felt his fuel pump almost stall in his chest at those words before he found himself running toward the Decepticon signal, praying to Primus for his son's son return.

"Prowl wait!" Sunstreaker shouted as he and the others chased after the military strategist whilst carelessly shoving young trees aside and stomping upon the undergrowth.

Prowl heard his comrades frantically calling for him but he had only one thing on his mind; retrieving Bluestreak. He slipped in the mud several times during his frantic run and he knew his paint work would require a complete overhaul when he got back to Diego Garcia but he couldn't care less right about now. Finally he spotted a silver form sat upon the rain soaked forest floor just inside a ring of trees, he instantly recognised the frame configuration as Starscream. The tactician removed his acid pellet rifle from sub-space as he took up position behind a large tree, he immediately directed the others into position the moment they arrived although he could tell his older brother wanted to chew him out for his recklessness first. The Dodge Charger scrutinised the Raptor closely as he seemed far too relaxed for his liking, not too mention that Starscream should have detected them by now. His assumption was quickly proven to be correct when the large silver flier glanced over his shoulder and in their general direction.

"You call yourself a tactician, I heard you coming from several fraggin' clicks away." Starscream told him but there was no movement to draw a weapon or escape, from him.

"Where is he?" Prowl hissed angrily as he stalked towards the Raptor, azure optics blazing and door wings held high and rigid on his back.

"Where he should be … safe." Starscream replied as he shifted his bulk, his new position revealed to the tactician where his son was at that moment in time. The Dodge Charger found himself nearly glitching as he tries to comprehend the fact that Bluestreak was recharging in the arms of one of their enemy.

"What have you done to him?" The door winged mech demanded, he probed along the creator/creation spark link to find that his son was well and was simply recharging.

"Nothing." The silver flier replied as he pushed himself up onto his clawed pedes, his crimson optics never leaving the little grey form snuggled close to his chassis, however he did glance away from the youngling and easily met the Autobot 2IC's gaze. Prowl was surprised by the amount of emotion being shown in the Raptor's optics in that one look as Starscream showed nothing but cold blooded hatred to them whenever they met on the battlefield. His grip tightened upon his weapon when the Raptor made his way across to him "life is too precious to waste or to lose, you'll do well to remember that next time you let him out of your sight." The silver flier gently handed the youngling over to Prowl before taking a couple of steps backwards, the tactician gave Starscream a questioning glance but the Raptor simply transformed and took off leaving two stunned Autobots and one ex-con in his wake.

Starscream immediately headed out of Earth's atmosphere and made his way back to the Nemesis. His emotions were currently conflicted as programming fought against Decepticon morals and beliefs, however he simply pushed it all aside as he entered the severely damaged remains of the large flagship, ignoring any gaze cast in his direction as he moved through the hallways and towards one of the storage compartments. When he arrived he entered the code and proceeded inside, he was greeted with the sight of more than a few dozen glowing hatchling cocoons. The Raptor vented a sigh out of his intakes before making his way over, he laid one of his clawed hands upon of the lower maturation sacs.

"I won't let anything happen to you." He murmured as he glanced at the other developing protoforms. There was no way he was going to allow Megatron to destroy these last few survivors, not whilst he had enough spark beating inside of his chest.

* * * * * * * * * *

**A/N: **Another one down and six more to go *faints* and Renascentia will get updated once the plot bunnies start co-operating. Anyway next one up is: Of Younglings and Devious Plans.


	9. Of Younglings and Devious Plans

**Title:** Of Younglings and Devious Plans

**Rating:** K+

**Universe:** Movie 07/09 verse (AU)

**Characters: **Youngling Bluestreak, Sideways, Skywarp, Prowl, Jazz, Sideswipe, and ensemble of others

**Pairing: **ProwlxJazz

**Warnings: **Wild use of profanities

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition.

**Summary:** A few Decepticons get unwittingly caught up in a game of cat and mouse with a certain youngling.

_**::Blah:: - Radio Communication**_

_:/blah\: - Inter. comm._

_**:://Blah\\:: Bond communication**_

This is a request for **thephoenixqueen** on LJ, I hope you enjoy hun. Bluestreak is the age of four/five in this fic so its set before Of Younglings and Crabs.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sideways wasn't sure whether to feel privileged or not when Megatron ordered him to search for the Autobot youngling since he very well knew that it meant he would have to go up against whoever had been assigned youngling sitting duty. Originally the mission had been Ravage's but when the felinoid failed to report back, Frenzy had been sent in and now no-one had heard from him either. So Sideways had been tasked to find the pair, kill the Autobot who had taken them out then search and obtain the youngling. The Audi R8 moved quickly and quietly through the base, ninety percent of it was empty as the Autobots and the human NEST personnel moved out to combat the Decepticon threat, although there were a few humans left but Sideways made quick work of them before they even saw him coming. The Audi R8 easily managed to pry open the blast doors that separated the different sections of the base, but it had only been made possible to do so once the power had gone out as the electromagnetic locks on the doors kept them sealed otherwise.

Sideways rounded the next corner and vented a sigh out of his intakes when the doors to the area designated as the base's recreation room came into view, he drew out his rifle before digging his claws into the seam that separated the doors and pried them open. The room was dimly lit beyond them, however the lack of proper lighting didn't disguise the fact the Autobot's rec. room had been completely upturned. The furniture had been completely uprooted and was now scattered across the floor, the true signs that a struggle had taken place. The Audi R8 scanned the room fully, searching for his two missing comrades and for any sign of the Autobot youngling or more importantly his caretaker. However what he did find once he had completed his sensor sweep was Ravage's and Frenzy's energy signatures, which meant the pair were here and some how they had been incapacitated. The Decepticon scout cautiously moved across the room, crimson optics continuously scanning his surroundings until he came across Frenzy's offline frame near the entertainment centre. The hacker was sprawled out on his back with all of his limbs tied together with a clear plastic tape that Sideways identified as sellotape, the Audi R8 frowned at that as it was unlikely an Autobot had tied the little silver mech up as they were more shoot first ask questions later especially when it came to scouts, spies and hackers. The silver Decepticon looked the hacker over and noticed a dent in the side of his helm which had no doubt been caused by something hitting him hard and resulting in his unconsciousness. Sideways moved away from Frenzy only to look twice when he came across Ravage, the felinoid was also out cold with all of his limbs bound together with sellotape. The Audi R8 couldn't help but snigger at that as the spy rarely let an Autobot get the better of him let alone capture him.

"Looks like this might be fun." Sideways said as he scanned the room, rifle at the ready, His blood red gaze snapped to the upturned couch when he heard movement, however all the experience in his long life could not prepare him for what happened next. His audio receptors heard something snap before an object spun through the air and hit him in the abdominal plates, effectively doubling him over.

"Little pit spawn." He growled when he saw baby blue optics staring at him, the Autobot youngling twittered at him before scrambling under the couch. Sideways dived for one of the little grey mechlet's pedes before they disappeared under only to to miss them entirely. The Audi R8 pushed himself up and grabbed the arm of the couch ready to toss it aside when the youngling stomped upon one of his pedes before making a dash for the rec. room doors. Sideways cursed wildly when the mechlet trod on his left foot purposely which unfortunately had him dropping the couch onto the other one, the Audi R8 howled in pain and hopped around upon his left foot until the pain subsided in the right one. The Decepticon scout went after the little one seconds later but he had to hand it to the little glitch as he could certainly run. He chased the youngling further into the base, and was suddenly thankful that all of the vents were in the ceiling, completely out of the way of one youngling's reach. As there was no doubt that if the mechlet got into the vents, he would lose him completely. He was still finding it hard to believe that this mechlet had managed to outwit, not to mention take out Ravage and Frenzy, but then again this was the spawn of the Autobot 2IC and 3IC so the infant had probably inherited some form of intelligence from his creators. Sideways rounded the next corner and smiled maliciously when he saw the youngling trying to stretch to unlock the door controls.

"Well look what I've caught, a little turbo rat." He said gaining the little grey mechlet's attention, the infant spun round to face him before flattening himself against the closed doors. Strangely enough as he stared into those azure optics, the youngling didn't appear to be scared of him which meant he was either brave, very stupid or absolutely terrified. The Audi R8 knew the little grey mechlet was watching him closely, waiting for him to make a move as those little sensory panels waved back and forth slowly. He also knew that the infant would never come quietly if the stubbornness and determination showing in his young optics was anything to go by. So he decided that he would simply grab him much to the protest of his better judgement, however Sideways leapt regardless only to regret it moments later when the youngling skipped out of the way and he went crashing into the closed reinforced titanium doors head first. Sideways cursed vehemently as he clutched his aching helm only to have insult added to injury when the infant blew a raspberry at him as he wiggled his diminutive fingers in front of his of his nasal plates. The Audi R8 attempted to scramble off the floor only to be thwarted in his attempts by a sudden loss of equilibrium.

"Nah, nah can't catch me." The little grey mechlet sang "stupid dirty 'con!"

"Why you little ..." Sideways began as he managed to get to his knees but the little one was gone before he even had a chance to take a swipe at the cocky little glitch. The Decepticon scout pushed himself upright using the wall as support and was about to go after the Autobot youngling when someone pinged his comm. link.

_**::What do you want?:: **_He snapped.

_**::Have you captured that fraggin' youngling yet?::**_ Starscream demanded over the comm. link.

_**::No not yet, but I'd be able to catch him much faster if you weren't wastin' my time.:: **_Sideways growled as he began making his way down the corridor.

_**::Well you better find him quickly, the Autobots are mounting an offence.:: **_The Raptor informed him before he snarled _**::besides you know our so called glorious leader doesn't like being kept waiting.::**_ Starscream cut the link before the Audi could form a reply.

"Two bit pit spawn." Sideways cursed as he tracked the youngling's energy signature to a large room at the end of another corridor, the doors ajar and the lights were dimly lit. He stepped inside cautiously and was immediately met with the sight of numerous crates both wooden and metal, and shelving units "slag-fraggin'-tastic." The Audi R8 knew the youngling could be anywhere in here with a myriad of 'weapons' at his disposal, Sideways scanned the room searching for any sign of the little grey mechlet. In fact he was too busy scanning the area around him and not was above him until it was too late, a river of red paint hit him covering most of his helm, shoulders, upper torso and pedes. Sideways growled to himself before glancing upwards, the open can of paint mocked him by rocking back and forth on its side. Then from the corner of his vision, he saw a flash of grey plating scramble off the pile of crates before disappearing around them, the Audi R8 snarled and rushed to race after the youngling only to slip on the puddle of paint and fall on his aft, denting it in the process.

"I swear when I get a hold of you, you'll regret not coming quietly." The Decepticon scout snapped as he pushed himself up fully and slowly began making his way toward the little grey mechlet's last know position only to have a well aimed and thrown object clip his left shoulder and another hit his chest plates. Sideways identified them as magazines that belonged to a semi-automatic weapon "little fragger." He grumbled as he crushed the items under foot, he refused to be beaten by a youngling who had barely lived a micro-faction compared to him and the others. Suddenly he felt the displacement of air behind him and turned to see Skywarp materialising a couple of metres away to his left.

_:/What the frag do you want?\: _Sideways snarled at the purple Raptor who had a stupid grin on his facial plates.

_:/Screamer sent me, said you were takin' too long.\: _Skywarp replied as he scanned the room _:/looks like you've had some … trouble.\:_

_:/Mute it and help me find the little glitch.\: _The Audi R8 growled as he turned ready to go and find the youngling only to see at the last possible second, an object sailing through the air with deadly accuracy before it connected solidly with his helm, effectively knocking him offline. The purple Raptor watched in both amusement and amazement as the wrench took the smaller Decepticon off-line until another hit him in the left knee joint, he hissed in pain and glared at the youngling stood on a wooden crate with another tool in his raised hand whilst a mischievous look decorated his facial plates.

"You dare you little ..." Skywarp was cut off when the tool was lobbed at him however this time he saw it and caught it before it could do any damage, then he tossed it aside carelessly. The youngling watched him closely before clambering off the crate and running towards a few of the much larger ones, the purple Raptor gave chase, kicking and tossing the crates aside whilst making sure not to harm the infant at the same time. He kept the youngling's escape route cut off at all times as Skywarp knew that once the mechlet was free from the storage room, he would then have hell of a time tracking him down again. Despite his speed and agility not to mention the capability of teleporting, the Raptor's size was constantly against him as the youngling easily slipped into gaps created by precariously balanced boxes and crates. In fact he was about to dive for one of the little mechlet's ankles when he disappeared through another gap only to recoil and stumble backwards when something hit him in the optic effectively blinding him partially and temporarily.

Skywarp fell back on his aft as he swiped away the paint covering his right optic before glaring into the doom where he could just make out the youngling holding some sort of gun in his hands. His optic shutters blinked in surprise at that, where the frag did he get that from? The little grey mechlet simply stared at him for a few seconds before dropping the paint ball gun and sliding through the gap to escape. The purple Raptor grinned, he had him now, he quietly made his way to the exit where he thought the youngling would exit from only to stare in disbelief when there was no sign of the infant.

"What the frag?" Skywarp cursed before he heard a shuffling sound before the youngling popped out of the exit he had been covering earlier "little slagger." The little grey mechlet didn't even look back over his shoulder as he made a dash towards the doors. The purple Raptor living up to his designation, teleported from his current position over toward the doorway hoping to cut the little one's escape route off. However the youngling somehow detected his re-materialisation and evaded the clawed fingers reaching to grab him, although a couple of them did brush against the tip of a sensory panel.

"Grab the youngling he says, bring him back he says, easier than slaggin' done Screamer." Skywarp grumbled before he spotted an opening as the little grey mechlet attempted to clamber onto a crate and was currently struggling to pull himself up onto it, Skywarp leapt and hooked his fingers around the infant's scruff bar before yanking him upwards and away from the crate "ah, ha finally got ya, you little glitch." The youngling however refused to go without a fight as he kicked and squirmed whilst twittering loudly, voicing his disapproval of being held by his scruff bar "nice try kid." Suddenly the little grey mechlet went completely still which should have forewarned the Raptor of what was going to happen next but it didn't "that's much …." His words trailed off when he heard a soft click before feeling something warm and wet hit his chest plates before running down his front "gah!" He dropped the infant the instant he realised he was lubricating on him. With the Raptor momentarily distracted and the youngling being none too pleased about being dropped, the little grey mechlet stomped on one of Skywarp's clawed pedes before kicking him in the shin then took off whilst the flier was howling in pain.

The Raptor dropped the leg he had been clutching before activating his null rays in a rare show of anger "That's it, I'm done playin' nice with you! Now get ya scrawny aft here in the next five seconds before I go and find one of ya parents and terminate them!" He scanned the room for any kind of movement "five … four …" He knew that was likely to rattle the youngling however he wasn't prepared for the infant popping out of hiding and firing a couple of shots from the paint ball gun he had discarded earlier at him. The Raptor stumbled backwards giving the little grey mechlet a chance to grab the tool he had found amongst the mess, draw his arm back and tossing it as best as he could.

"Yea! Take that ya dirty 'con!" The youngling shouted in victory as the tool connected solidly with the front of Skywarp's helm and knocking him out cold like the others before Bluestreak braved clambering down from his hiding place. He felt incredibly smug having beaten four Decepticons considering they absolutely terrified him, he made his way over cautiously to the flier and poked him to make sure he was out cold completely, then he moved to grab one of the Decepticon's clawed hands and dragged it to the other was. He reached into one of the many crevices in his armoured plating and drew out the large roll of sellotape that he had with him, he had commandeered it from the humans section in the rec. room after he had first taken out the small silver robot then the big scary looking cat. He continuously watched the Raptor's facial plates in case he came back online as he taped the fliers hands together, an imitation of cuffing them together like he had seen his father do to Sideswipe when his guardian had been rather naughty after annoying his sire to the point that he had retaliated. Once he was sure there was enough tape he moved onto the other Decepticon not lying far from the entrance to the room, he poked that one as well to make sure it wouldn't online before going about the task of taping his hands together as well. He was just finish taping the second Decepticon's wrists together when he heard hurried footsteps down the corridor, Bluestreak dropped the cardboard roll and rushed to hide behind the nearest upturned crate, he was really tired now and didn't want to face another Decepticon. But he was suddenly reassured when he felt his carrier's presence in his spark, he peeked out then from behind the crate when the doors whooshed open and his daddy rushed into the room looking frantic especially more so when he saw the first bad guy lying upon the floor.

"Blue!" He heard him shout. Then his father entered the room, back appendages held high with a weapon held in his hand swiftly followed by his uncle Sideswipe "Blue baby where are ya?!" The youngling dragged himself out from behind the crate instantly gaining the attention of his carrier. Jazz rushed across to him and picked him up before clutching him close, Bluestreak wrapped his arms around his daddy's neck glad to finally back in one of his parents arms after the mad rush from earlier "you okay?"

"I'm fine daddy." He replied as he tucked his helm into the side of his carrier's neck.

"Both of them are out cold." The youngling heard Sideswipe say although he sounded some what surprised by that "and this? This is clever, nice one Blue." The youngling glanced up and over to where his guardian was knelt next to the big purple Raptor inspecting the tape wrapped around the flier's wrists "that's gonna be an aft to get off later."

"Indeed." Prowl responded as he inspected Sideways bound wrists before he glanced at his offspring who was happily nestled in his mate's arms "intuitive thinking my son." Bluestreak smiled at his sire before tucking his helm back into the side of Jazz's neck.

Sideswipe suddenly chuckled breaking the silence "Sunny's just reported that they've found Ravage and Frenzy in the rec. room and guess what? They're out cold too and they've been bound with sellotape as well." The tactician couldn't help but be surprised at that, his door wings fluttering at the notion that his offspring had some how taken out four Decepticons whilst they had been fighting the rest of the force outside of the base, especially ones such as Skywarp, Sideways, Ravage and Frenzy. His logic circuits kept presenting the percentages and variables that told him by all rights Bluestreak should have been captured by at least one of the four who had infiltrated the base, and it was beginning to give him a processor ache just thinking about it.

_**:://Then don't think about it love, he'll tell us about his adventure when he's ready.\\:: **_The saboteur transmitted to him through the bond.

_**:://But Jazz by all right he should have been captured several times over.\\::**_ The Dodge Charger responded, a frown adorning his facial plates.

The Solstice cocked his head to the side in an imitation on an eye roll _**:://He's determined an' stubborn just like ya, he would have never allowed them to get 'im, in fact how many times has he evaded you an' me when it comes ta recharge?\\::**_ His mate did have a point there, their creation had become pretty talented in the art of evasion when it came to bed time which often resulted in the twins and Barricade being called in for back up so they could catch him _**:://besides if ya lock up I ain't draggin' ya aft to the med-bay.\\::**_

_**:://Hmm.\\::**_ Prowl hummed as he pushed himself upright before reaching into his sub-space and removing a pair of stasis cuffs, he threw a pair across to Sideswipe who caught them easily before snapping them around Sideways wrists keeping the Audi R8 in stasis lock. The tactician snapped the other pair around Skywarp's wrists before making his way across to his mate and child "Is he alright?"

"Yea he's fine just a little tired, but I wanna take 'im ta Ratch just to make sure." Jazz replied as he continued his strokes down the centre of the youngling's back.

"Ratchet?" Bluestreak asked glancing up at his carrier.

"Yea I wanna make sure you're fine." The saboteur told his son.

"Nuh-uh don't wanna go to the ole Hatchet, please daddy." The youngling pleaded as he pushed himself away from the silver chassis he had been snuggling against.

"Blue, it'll only be a quick visit." Prowl reassured his offspring, he knew the little grey mechlet had a phobia of the repair bay that had been instilled in him by a few certain mechs, mechs he decided he needed to have a serious word with. Speaking of whom, Sideswipe was trying to edge his way out of the room hoping to save himself from the lecture he knew was coming. Both Jazz and Bluestreak watched as Prowl stalked over to the red Lamborghini to give him an audio full before the saboteur turned to his son.

"So did you have fun?" The Solstice inquired when he met the youngling's baby blue optics. The little grey mechlet nodded enthusiastically before launching into his tale of how he had 'battled' and taken out the first two Decepticons then the other two as Jazz carried him out of the storage room and back into the base. The saboteur laughed himself stupid when he heard that Bluestreak had lubricated on Skywarp to make him drop him, but he playfully admonished the youngling telling him he was not to do that to any of them. They passed Optimus and Ironhide on the way as the pair headed in the direction they had come from with Sunstreaker, Mirage and Hound who were dragging the off-line frames of Frenzy and Ravage to the brig where they would stay until they either escaped or Megatron bartered for their release. The former being more likely as the Decepticon tyrant didn't negotiate with anyone.

By the time Jazz made it to the med-bay, Bluestreak had fallen into recharge making it much easier for Ratchet to check the youngling over once he had finished with Arcee's repairs, the medic would without a doubt track down the others later to attend to their wounds threatening them with deactivation if they refused. The CMO reported that the little grey mechlet was fine and just in need of a refuel and plenty of rest, he then checked the saboteur over and attended to the minor injuries he had incurred whilst trying to reach the base after being cut off from it. Once the Solstice was cleared and given instructions to also refuel and recharge, Jazz carried a slumbering Bluestreak out of the repair bay and back to quarters, clearly relieved that his youngling was alive and well after being chased down by four Decepticons. He chuckled at that as he entered the code to his living quarters before stepping inside once the doors were opened, once the tales of Bluestreak's adventures reached the other Autobots audio receptors he could guarantee that Sideways, Skywarp, Ravage and Frenzy would never live it down after being beaten by a youngling that was for sure.

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**A/N: ***shrugs* it was an attempt at a home alone fic. Anyway next up is: Of Younglings and Deities


	10. Of Younglings and Deities

**Title:** Of Younglings and Deities

**Rating:** K+

**Universe:** Movie 07/09 verse (AU)

**Characters: **Youngling Bluestreak, Prowl, Jazz, Optimus, Primus and a mention of others

**Pairing: **ProwlxJazz

**Warnings: **fluff, slight smut, a smidgen of angst, implied character death

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition.

**Summary:** Prowl and Jazz become incredibly concerned when their youngling insists he can speak to Primus

_**::Blah:: - Radio Communication**_

_:/blah\: - Inter. comm._

_**:://Blah\\:: Bond communication**_

This one shot was requested by Leo Oneal, I hope you enjoy hun, I did tweak the original plot you gave me for this one! Also the OC Golden Rod belongs to her, I'm just using him with permission. This one shot also has a small relation to Renascentia but there are no spoilers.

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There weren't many things that would pull Bluestreak out of a sound recharge as he was usually a heavy sleeper, but the sudden shift in the air that had his sensory panels twitching had him waking up from his slumber. Baby blue optics flickered and on-lined when he felt someone sit down upon the edge of his berth and began to stroke his helm in a soothing manner. The youngling uncurled from the tight ball he had been in before he scrubbed his optics with clenched fists as he sat up before letting a yawn escape his vocaliser, however when he couldn't feel the comforting presence of one of his creators, his systems fully rebooted and his gaze fell upon a strange being sat on the edge of his berth. The being shrouded in white light was not like any Transformer he had ever seen in his short life, and the set of crimson optics that were settled upon him instantly had him associating the strange mech with the Decepticons. The little grey mechlet felt his spark begin to pulse frantically in its chamber as fear gripped his small frame, he clutched his soft toy to his chest plates before he scrambled backwards on his berth until his back collided with the wall behind him.

"It's alright little one, I'm not going to hurt you." The creature said as it held its clawed hands up in a placating manner whilst a reassuring smile appeared upon its facial plates, but the little one refused to believe him and immediately scrambled off the berth and ran out of the room calling for his parents. Bluestreak tripped over a few stray toys lying upon the floor in the living room in his mad dash to his parent's room, he immediately spotted the familiar frame of his father upon the large berth the moment he made it around the doorway. The youngling glanced back over his shoulder before hastily grabbing one of the door wings lying over the edge.

"Father, father, father!" The little one chanted as he tugged upon the back appendage none too gently "father wake up!"

"Blue?" Came a sleep inquiry from his sire before Prowl shifted slightly so he could glance over the side of the berth, sleepy azure optics instantly met frightened baby blue ones.

"Father there's a 'con in my room!" Bluestreak cried as he pointed in the direction of his room, Prowl sat up then a frown upon his facial plates. The youngling had been known to have nightmares about the Decepticons, and more often than not, he and Jazz had either had to check the whole room over to make sure they weren't 'hiding' anywhere or stay with the little one all night so he would recharge Besides him, Jazz was just beginning to stir from his recharge but the tactician quickly soothed his mate back into his much needed rest before sliding his legs over the side of the berth. The Dodge Charger barely had the chance to clear the fuzz out of his processor when the youngling grabbed one of his hands and began tugging on it "come on father!"

"Alright Blue, I'm coming." Prowl said as he stood up and allowed his little one to tug him out of the room and to his own, although once they approached the threshold of the youngling's bedroom and Bluestreak met the strange creature's gaze who was still sat on the edge of his berth, the little one retreated behind his father in fear, diminutive hands clutching hold of calf armour. The strange Transformer didn't seem concerned about the youngling's sire entering the room and glancing around searching for 'Decepticons', in fact his smile only grew larger as he watched parent and child make their way around the room although Bluestreak appeared more reluctant especially once they drew near to the creature "Blue I don't see anything."

"But he's right there father!" The youngling replied, clearly upset as he pointed straight at the being. Prowl glanced in the direction the little one was pointing in only to see the berth, stuffed toys, blanket and wall.

"He can't see me Bluestreak." The creature said "he never will." The little grey mechlet shrunk back behind his father when he heard the strange Transformer talk to him "you need not far anything from me, I would never hurt you, you're too special."

"Who, who are you?" Bluestreak asked peering out from behind his father once he had gained enough courage, his sudden question immediately had his sire glancing down at him before his gaze travelled over to the same spot his youngling looking at. A spot that beheld nothing of interest which the tactician thought was rather unusual.

"My name is Primus." The creature replied as he placed his clawed hands in his lap "I came here to check up on your spark carrier as per your request."

"So you're not a Decepticon?" The little one asked, small sensory panels fluttering upon his back.

A small smile made its way onto Primus' facial plates "No little one, I'm not a Decepticon in fact I have no side I have never chosen a side and never will do as you are all of my children regardless of your faults."

Bluestreak frowned at that "But daddy and father are my parents." An amused chuckle made its way out of the elderly mech as he watched the youngling's sire grow confused with every passing minute, it was a shame he had little to no faith and therefore could not at least sense his presence in the room.

"You will understand what I meant one day." The Deity said as he smiled at the little one who was becoming much braver with every passing second and was now stood beside his father rather than behind him.

"Bluestreak who are you talking too?" Prowl asked softly as he glanced down at his son.

The youngling glanced up at him before pointing at the area where he could see the Deity but his father couldn't "Primus." The tactician was startled by that as he stared down at the little grey mechlet who was returning his gaze intently, the Dodge Charger really wasn't in the mood for this now and the last thing he wanted was for his logic circuits to crash whilst trying to make sense of what was going on.

"Blue, Primus isn't real, never has been, he's a fictional character in a story written long ago." Prowl said as he knelt down so he was at the same height at his son. Off to the side of him, the Deity cocked his head to the side in an imitation of an eye roll, it came as no surprise to him that the little one's creator would tell him that. After all it wasn't the first time he had heard it, but it saddened him none the less. Had the war really stolen that much of their faith? Or was it other circumstances that had done it?

"But I can see him father, he's right there." The youngling replied sadly as he glanced at the creature, little sensory panels drooping upon his back.

The tactician vented a heavy sigh out of his intakes "That's enough, come on back to bed."

"Daddy would believe me!" Bluestreak shouted at his sire before stamping one of his pedes, clearly upset that his father wouldn't believe him.

Prowl felt his temper flare slightly "Don't you dare wake your carrier Bluestreak." The youngling scowled at his father, little sensory panels flared upon his back. The tactician noticed how the little grey mechlet looked like Jazz in that instant when the saboteur was angry or upset about something "come on bed now." Bluestreak glared at him a while longer before finally relenting and heading to his berth, he clambered up onto it and settled down upon his side, his back facing his sire. The Dodge Charger vented a sigh out of his intakes, he really didn't want to upset his youngling by telling him their Deity wasn't real but it seemed overly far fetched to be true. That and he couldn't quite comprehend why Primus would talk to his son out of all Cybertronians, not that he didn't consider Bluestreak special in every way, but there were a few who did believe in the existence of their Deity so why not them? The black and white mech shook his helm to clear his head, he really didn't need to be thinking about this right now, not when it was giving him a processor ache and causing his logic circuits to glitch. Prowl moved across to the berth, picking up the blanket before tucking it around the youngling's frame, once done, he smoothed hand over the little grey mechlet's head "night Blue." Bluestreak simply grumbled at him as he powered down his systems for recharge. The tactician stood up fully before his gaze fell on the spot the youngling had been looking at and simply frowned when he still didn't see anything, not even his sensors were detecting any sort of energy signature in the room. He vented another sigh before making his way out of the room and back to his own, only to falter in his steps when he saw Jazz leaning against the doorway. The Dodge Charger quickened his steps and strode across the living space so he was at his mate's side in seconds.

"You shouldn't be out of bed." The black and white admonished the saboteur.

"What was that all about?" The Solstice inquired tiredly.

"Nothing, Blue thought he had a Decepticon in his room." Prowl replied "turns out it was a false alarm, now come on you should be resting or I'll have Ratchet to answer to."

"You mean after he's chewed out my aft first then he'll reformat you." Jazz said with a small grin upon his lip components.

"That's comforting." The tactician responded as he gripped one of the saboteur's arms and began leading him back to their berth, however just as they turned in the doorway, the Solstice couldn't help but glance in the direction of their little one's room. He knew there was more going on then his spark-mate was letting on but right he needed to rest to let his self repairs finish what they started.

Bluestreak waited for his father to leave the room before he slid off his berth and crept across the room, he glanced around the door way watching his parents interact before they disappeared from view although he noticed his carrier appeared to glancing in the direction of his room. He shrunk back into the shadows making sure his daddy didn't spot him.

"You are a defiant little one, you are most certainly like your carrier." Primus said, he watched as the little one jumped and spun round to face him before he saw small sensory panels drooping.

"Why won't father believe me?" The youngling asked as he made his way back over to his berth and clambered up onto it, he grabbed his favourite stuffed toy from where he had discarded it and began picking at a stray thread.

"Because little one, he lost his faith years ago." The Deity replied "he just needs to be reminded of it that's all, and in time maybe he will." The large Transformer smiled reassuringly down at the little grey mechlet as he rested a single clawed hand upon one of Bluestreak's shoulders "now you should listen to your sire and go to sleep." The youngling nodded solemnly as he grabbed his blanket and tugged it around his frame before powering down his systems for recharge. Primus stood and glanced down at the little grey mechlet, he vented a deep sigh out of his intakes as he gazed upon the Earth born youngling. He was beginning to wonder if this had been a mistake showing himself to the little one in the first place, but he knew Bluestreak required comforting in his time of need especially someone other than the Earth bound Autobots. He allowed a small smile to appear upon his lip components as he leant down to smooth a clawed hand over the youngling's helm in a comforting manner before straightening and vanishing from the room in a bright flash of white.

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Prowl was concerned, in fact he was down right worried about an unusual and some what delicate situation involving his son. He wasn't the only one either as Jazz had expressed worry for their seven year old creation as neither of them knew how to proceed especially when their son insisted that he could talk to their Deity Primus. Even the others had expressed a concern when they found Bluestreak happily chatting to a being they couldn't see or believed existed. The youngling had protested profusely when his parents took him to Ratchet to be checked over, but the CMO couldn't find anything wrong with him in the slightest, although he did recall the pair of them back and told them that it was normal for younglings to have an imaginary friend especially during times of loneliness or a traumatic event in their lives. However neither Jazz or Prowl especially, were convinced by this theory but they decided to let it play out hoping Bluestreak would return to 'normality' soon.

The tactician sat back in his chair whilst his gaze settled on the doors opposite him, this had all started a week ago after a skirmish with the Decepticons that had left several of them requiring immediate medical attention, his mate included. Bluestreak had been so scared for his carrier that he refused to eat and sleep until his father, his uncle and his guardians managed to reassure him everything was going to be alright. But the youngling had been much quieter and more obedient and quite frankly Prowl was becoming concerned, he knew that raising a sparkling/youngling wasn't going to be easy whilst the war still waged between them and the Decepticons, but he had never thought anything like this would happen at all. They had never had this much trouble raising Bumblebee through the escalating war on Cybertron, although they had a few ups and downs, however it seemed psychologically Bluestreak was a lot more fragile than the scout, a weakness he knew could easily be exploited by their enemy.

The tactician was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard the chime sounded alerting him to someone outside of his office "Come in." He called as he sat up fully as the doors whooshed open, permitting his leader access "Sir?" The Dodge Charger began to rise when his leader held up a hand.

"At ease Prowl." Optimus said as he stepped inside and made his way over, his azure gaze wandering over the tired frame of his 2IC "is everything alright?"

The tactician vented a sigh out of his intakes "Things have been a little trying lately with Jazz recovering from the skirmish with the Decepticons and now this delicate situation involving Bluestreak."

"Yes I heard about that." The Prime said as he sat down in one of the chairs opposite the black and white "have you tried talking to him?"

"Believe me Sir, both Jazz and I have tried and quite frankly we're running out of options." The Dodge Charger replied as he sat back in his chair, gaze settled upon the pile of reports he had yet to read through.

"Has anyone else tried to approach him?" The semi Peter-built inquired, he saw his 2IC glance at him curiously "it seems that what has happened just recently has had a profound impact upon him and since you and Jazz are his parents, it maybe a little hard for him to talk to you about how he feels."

"Maybe." Prowl replied as he placed his elbows upon the polished surface of the desk and interlinked his fingers "I just can't begin to understand why Bluestreak would insist that he can speak with Primus, it seems …. illogical."

"But not impossible." Optimus mumbled which earned him a surprised look from his military strategist, he opened his mouth plates intending to say something to cover up what he just said but promptly shut them again, realising that maybe he had said too much in just those three simple words. After all he didn't want to alarm Prowl to the fact it could be a possible occurrence as their youngling got older since the Allspark had been bridge of communication with their deity. And of course his own experience had only come after he had been zapped by the cube when he had foolishly approached it after a simple midnight walk to the temple of Simfur not long after the war began. He knew this possible scenario was going to be hard on both of the little one's parents and no doubt would glitch the tactician's logic circuits a few times, but he believed it was unavoidable.

The Dodge Charger vented a heavy sigh out of his intakes as he slumped back in his chair, his own processes running at faster speeds than normal as he tried to comprehend the three words Optimus had just spoken, but decided against it when a warning sprung up in his HUD about a possible processor crash. He was still troubled about how to proceed when it came to his little one and knew that maybe it would be worth having one of the others speaking to Bluestreak and have him to talk to them about what was troubling him. But then again there was the small minute chance that his son was telling the truth and that he could really talk with Primus, however his question was why, not too mention how. However he believed that maybe such answers would remain elusive unless given otherwise. The black and white mech was drawn out of his thoughts when someone urgently pinged his comm. link.

_**:://Prowl you gotta come quick!\\::**_ Came Jazz's sudden panicked call through their shared link.

Prowl pushed himself up from his chair, door wings flaring in concern _**:://Jazz what's wrong?\\::**_

_**:://It's Blue, he's taken off.\\:: **_The saboteur replied _**:://drop whatever ya doin' an' help me find 'im!\\::**_

_**:://I'm on my way.\\:: **_The tactician said as he made his way around his desk, his gaze meeting his leader's concerned one briefly "a situation has come up Sir, I have to …."

"It's alright Prowl, go." Optimus told his 2IC, the Dodge Charger nodded before quickly making his way out of his office. He raced through the corridors until he nearly ran into his frantic mate, the pair of them rushed through the hallways, barely registering the voices of humans and Autobots alike as they shouted to the bonded pair where and when they had seen the youngling. The bonded pair rushed through the base until their directions lead them to the entrance of the base where a more helpful airman told them he had seen the little grey mechlet heading off the base grounds, Jazz and Prowl wasted no time in running across the tarmac, barely avoiding stepping on any human who happened to get in their way as they pursued their wayward offspring. The saboteur finally spotted a little grey frame several yards from their position and lengthened his strides despite his body's protests at being pushed into doing too much physical activity in one day, and knew he would pay for it later but right now he was more concerned about Bluestreak's welfare.

"Blue!" The Solstice shouted as he and Prowl raced to catch their son up "Blue baby come back!" However the youngling either didn't hear them or was simply ignoring them, the silver mech knew it was probably the latter if the little grey mechlet's outburst back at the base was any indication. Jazz decided he would shoot Barricade later for being far too blunt with Bluestreak and upsetting him in the process. A matter he communicated to Prowl over their spark link as they rushed after the youngling. They soon caught up with their errant offspring at his favourite site, although both weren't prepared for the surge of emotional input the little grey mechlet was transmitting over their shared link the moment they came into close proximity.

"Go away!" Bluestreak yelled at his parents as he turned to face them, optic fluid falling from his optics and down over his cheek arches "you don't believe me, no-one believes me!"

"Bluestreak we want to believe you but …." Prowl began as he slowly approached the youngling, hands held up in a placating manner, he detected a minute stiffening in his mate's frame next to his but simply put it down to the shock at feeling so much anger radiating off the little grey mechlet. The tactician was taken completely by surprise when he saw his offspring's shoulders slump and his sensory panels droop so they hanging low upon his back, he half expected his son to start throwing a tantrum since he had seen this behaviour a few times before.

"He says I shouldn't blame you, it's not your fault." Bluestreak began as he glanced at the space next to him which had Prowl frowning and Jazz shuffling uncomfortably upon his pedes "and he says there's one way I can prove ta you I'm tellin' the truth." The youngling cocked his helm to the side as he listened intently "father he says you shouldn't keep blamin' yaself for Goldenrod's death, it was an accident."

"He what?" The tactician inquired, now completely overwhelmed and perplexed. No-one knew of the fatal incident that had occurred when he was youngling other than his bonded who had only found out about the tragic memory during a spark merge. He recalled painfully that fateful day that he and Goldenrod had been out playing hide and seek when the floor in a derelict building they had been playing in gave way beneath them. Prowl had been lucky to escape with a few scrapes and dents, a shattered right forearm strut and a dislocated right sensory panel, but the other youngling had been trapped beneath concrete and metal, crushed beneath its weight. He had been assured numerous times that it wasn't his fault by his creators and that of Goldenrod's, but hadn't stopped the black and white mech from feeling responsible for the tragic loss of his closest friend. The tactician glanced at his son and could see the baby blue optics staring at him, imploring him to believe him and how could he not? After all Bluestreak couldn't have known about Goldenrod's death unless either Jazz had told him or he truly was speaking to their Deity.

The Dodge Charger glanced at the spot next to Bluestreak "If what my son says is true, why have you not sought to tell me sooner that I shouldn't feel responsible for what happened all those millennia ago."

The youngling focused his attention upon Primus stood next to him before glancing over at his sire "Because father, he says he was hopin' you'd forgive yaself."

"And maybe ya should love, what's happened has happened, nothin' can change what occurred all those years ago." Jazz said as he gently gripped his mate's upper left arm, although his azure gaze was also settled upon the spot next to their son.

Prowl vented a heavy sigh out of his intakes "I guess so." He glanced at his youngling and saw little sensory panels waving back and forth and a small expectant look upon the little grey mechlet's facial plates. He gathered the courage he needed as much as he could before pulling himself fully upright "very well. What happened back then was an accident and nothing could have prevented it from happening, however I am still partly to blame since we both should have known better regardless."

"I suppose that's good enough." Primus muttered to himself, he knew the Dodge Charger was stubborn, but not that stubborn. But it was good enough for him to hear that the black and white mech was no longer blaming himself fully for what happened, and yes whilst he should have known better than to enter a derelict building after his creators told him not too, youngling's always took it upon themselves to disobey their parents regardless of the consequences. Although that particular incident had cost a mechling his life, but it was far from Prowl's fault. After all fate worked in mysterious ways and not even the all knowing Deity had complete control over it.

"So that means you believe me now?" Bluestreak asked warily.

Prowl crouched and held out his arms "I believe you." The youngling rushed across and straight into his father's arms, the tactician pulled his son close before lifting him up as he stood then settled him on his left hip "I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

"It's okay." The little grey mechlet replied timidly "he says we should go back now and tell uncle 'Cade off."

The Dodge Charger chuckled "Alright then."

"S'lright you go on ahead, I'll catch up." Jazz told his mate, Prowl glanced at him curiously, wondering what his bonded was up to but none the less carried their youngling back to the base. Once he was sure both his mate and child were out of sight and out of hearing range, the saboteur cocked his head to the side, his blue optics meeting the friendly crimson ones of their Deity. A feat only possible because of his contact with the Allspark shard several years ago, the very same one that had been sacrificed to bring him back from the well of Allsparks. Although now it lived on inside of his first born, well its legacy anyway.

"Thank you." The Solstice told him as he turned fully to face the lanky and anarchic built frame perched upon the boulders across from him.

Primus simply shrugged his shoulders "Your welcome." The Deity pushed himself up to his tall and intimidating height "now I must be heading back to the well of Allsparks before a few errant souls decide to create chaos in my absence." Jazz chuckled at that and Primus glanced at him before pointing a long slender finger in his direction "and don't think I don't remember the trouble you caused whilst you were in my care before you rejoined the material world again." The saboteur immediately looked sheepish at that but he soon shrugged off the playful scolding.

"You know its gonna take a while for it to sink in with Prowl that his son can speak ta ya?" The Solstice said "that's if his logic circuits don't crash first."

Primus chuckled "I am aware of that, but may be in time his own faith will grow and he'll be able to at least sense me the next time I visit this world." The Cybertronian Deity approached the small silver mech and rested a clawed hand upon one of his shoulders "look after your little one, he is far more special than you know especially in here." Primus placed one of his clawed hands upon his chest plates, right above his spark, Jazz knew exactly what he meant by that. Bluestreak was more special than just being the first of a new generation that was likely to come in the near future, the little grey mechlet was his and Prowl's child, a very much wanted (despite his unexpected conception) and loved by-product of their own love and devotion to one another, and their legacy "now I suggest you go to your mate and child, they are waiting for you." The saboteur nodded and began moving in the direction of the Diego Garcia military installation, however after a few steps he stopped and glanced over his shoulder however his gaze simply fell upon the rocks and the sea crashing against them. Their Deity was gone. The Solstice shook his finned helm as a small smile graced his lip components, it had certainly been a strange experience the past few days and he knew Bluestreak was very likely to have questions, he just hoped he and Prowl had the answers for them.

* * * * * * * * * *

**A/N: **Yes I did give Primus a personality, either that or he would have been far too serious for my liking, and I would have had this one up sooner, but RL kinda got in the way. That and a new plot bunny attacked for another story *glares at the smug critter sat in the corner*. Anyway another one down, four more to go. Next one up: Of Younglings and Cranky Medics.


	11. Of Younglings and Cranky Medics

**Title:** Of Younglings and Cranky Medics

**Rating:** K+

**Universe:** Movie 07/09 verse (AU)

**Characters: **Youngling Bluestreak, Prowl, Jazz, Ratchet, Ironhide and a mention of others

**Pairing: **ProwlxJazz, slight RatchetxIronhide

**Warnings: **fluff, use of profanities, a try at humour

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition.

**Summary:** Ratchet's day just keeps getting better and better especially when a youngling is added to the mix

Request for Elita One, hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it hun! lol

Ratchet swore that more than half the time he was surrounded by juveniles rather than fully upgraded and supposedly mature adults. He had, had so far one hell of a morning with the twins brawling in the recreation room which resulted in the flat screen television being broken after Sideswipe knocked it off its mounts and sat on it afterwards by accident. He had nearly down right refused to treat them for their injuries, but repaired them none the less before turfing them out of his med-bay. Then Hound and Trailbreaker had asked for his presence out in Australia which meant he had to use the new transwarp technology to get there as quickly as possible. He had arrived at their location only to discover that the two nature lovers had been trying to climb a rock face only to fall and land upon some very sharp and spiny cacti. The CMO had been none too pleased about that and told them as such with a few added cuss words before he headed back to Diego Garcia.

Then once the medic had arrived back at the military installation, he found Optimus in his repair bay looking a little sheepish if not some what embarrassed at his situation which was not like the Prime in the slightest, but then he had good reason to when the semi Peter-built presented the Hummer with two severed fingers. Ratchet had to clamp his mouth plates shut to stop himself from laughing and quickly went about reattaching the fingers before he booted Optimus out of his domain with words that he should find something less dangerous to play with in the future. Then just when he thought he would be able to get on with his reports and maybe catch up with inventory checks, Ironhide had waltzed into the med-bay with one of his plasma cannons smoking. It turned out that the weapons specialist had been tweaking its settings and blown out several relay circuits as a result, whilst the other had simply malfunctioned.

"I swear I'm surrounded by sparklings half the time." The CMO grumbled at this companion "how many times have I told you about coming to me for any tinkering or remodulation you want doing?"

"Alright I get it, I'm sorry." Ironhide replied gruffly as he glared at the medic.

The chartreuse mech put down the tool he was currently holding and returned the glare back at his companion "Not sorry enough to be leavin' your cannons in my company for a complete overhaul."

"Aw Ratch didn't realise ya missed me that much that ya wanna keep a part of me with ya." The weapons specialist said with a slight smirk upon his lip components "but mech did it have to be the cannons? I'd give anything else up but them? They're ma babies."

"As I've said, you should have thought of that before tinkering with them." Ratchet scolded him "now sit the frag still so I can detach them."

"Wow Ratch what crawled up your tailpipe and died?" Came a new voice from the doorway, the CMO shot a glare over his shoulder at the Autobot's 3IC as he made his way across the bay.

"What the slag do you want?" The medic demanded as he returned to his work in removing the twin plasma cannons from their owner, and missing Bluestreak's shocked expression and clamping of diminutive hands over mouth plates at the bad word leaving the Hummer's vocaliser.

"Droppin' lil Blue off as arranged." Jazz replied as he adjusted his hold on his youngling. Ratchet swore that the universe hated him right about now, he had forgotten that he had volunteered to watch over Bluestreak since no-one else was available to watch him, the youngling's parents included.

The CMO cursed lightly under his breath as he spared the special ops mech a brief glance "Alright set him down on the berth, I want him where I can keep an optic on him."

"Anyone thought Blue here was a troublemaker." The Solstice said as he set the youngling down on the berth.

"Yea." Bluestreak protested, sticking his bottom lip out in a pout.

"He's doin' a Jazz." Ironhide said with a small smile curving his lip components upwards "I've seen that pout before and it usually means somethin' ugly is about ta happen."

"Hey I never pout." Jazz protested as he swatted the weapons specialist's upper left arm. Both older mechs snorted at that and the saboteur did exactly what he had just declared that he didn't do; he pouted and folded his arms across his chest, hand tilted upwards and away from them in a gesture that meant he wasn't talking to them.

The youngling giggled at the immaturity being displayed by his carrier, little sensory panels fluttering "Daddy looks silly." A smile worked its way onto the Solstice's lip components quickly before Jazz poked his offspring in the side earning him a fit of giggles from the little one.

"Alright I gotta go, remember to be good for ole Ratchet." Jazz told his son.

"Old?" Ratchet asked as he glared at the saboteur, Ironhide began sniggering whilst the Solstice simply shrugged his shoulders "cheeky glitch, out of my med-bay before I decide to leave a sizeable dent in that thick helm of yours."

A frown appeared upon Bluestreak's facial plates "That's not very nice."

"It's alright Blue, Ratch is just getting' cranky in his old age." The silver mech reassured his offspring as he handed Bluestreak his carry round toy bag "but I'm gonna have ta love ya an' leave ya before the Hatchet decides to follow through with his threat." Jazz placed a quick kiss upon the grey crest in the middle of the youngling's chevron before making a quick retreat, and just in the nick of time as a tool whistled through the air and hit the closing doors with a clang.

"Father says you shouldn't throw things, could hurt someone with it." The little grey mechlet told the medic.

"Blue ya father tells ya not ta throw thin's coz ya not supposed to and Ratch …. well he shouldn't either, but he's been doin' it for a long time now and he's got a good aim." Ironhide said as he glanced down at Bluestreak who was watching what the CMO was doing intently.

"Alright you're good to go, I'll comm. you when they can be reattached." The medic spoke up as he set his tools down and placed the twin cannons on an equipment cart next to the berth.

The weapons specialist slipped off the berth "See ya later Blue, Ratch." He rubbed the flat plane of his palm against the youngling's helm only for the little grey mechlet to swat away the playful gesture.

The Hummer watched the large black mech leave before he glanced at the little grey mechlet "I'll be back in a moment, don't touch." The youngling nodded and Ratchet left to grab something from his office. Bluestreak glanced around the room looking decidedly bored before his gaze wondered back to the two twin cannons on the equipment cart, he cocked his head to the side curiously when he saw a small light flashing on one of them. The youngling glanced toward the medic's office before shuffling across to the cart, he inspected the weapon closely before reaching out and touching the glowing light. What happened next took him completely by surprise as the cannon discharged making him jump backwards, Ratchet who had just been leaving his office barely had time to step backwards out of the way of the plasma round as it struck the wall.

"What the?" The CMO exclaimed before he gaze fell upon the little grey mechlet who was currently looking somewhat sheepish and clutching his hands in his lap whilst little sensory panels drooped.

"Oops." Bluestreak replied twiddling his fingers as the medic made his way over "I didn't meant too, but there was a light flashin' and I touched it when you told me not too, I'm sorry."

The Hummer felt his temper deflate at that little confession, how could he stay mad at Bluestreak. After all youngling's were curious creature's so he was bound to touch something he shouldn't do even when he was told not too "It's alright Blue, I bet that no good fragger forgot to reactivate the safety protocols before I removed them." He gave the little grey mechlet a reassuring smile before picking up a tool from the tray it had been on and activating the safety protocols on the two cannons, he could tell Bluestreak was still anxious "it's alright Blue, but next time listen to ole Ratch, I wouldn't want to see anything bad happen to you."

"Okay." The youngling said, the medic smiled as he smoothed a hand over the little grey helm before picking up the twin plasma cannons and settling them on the next berth where he began to repairs upon them.

"I need to fix these so I suggest you find something to amuse yourself until I'm done." The Hummer said, not looking up from his work. Bluestreak nodded then grabbed his carry round toy bag and opened it before reaching inside for his drawing pad, he set it down upon the berth in front of him before reaching inside for a pencil. Once he found one he placed the bag aside then picked up his drawing pad and began sketching upon a fresh page a few pages in.

"Ratchet, how do you, Father, daddy, Optimus and the others transform?" Bluestreak asked a few minutes later as he looked up from his drawing pad.

The CMO put down the tool he was using and gathered another one, he didn't look up from his work as he tried to explain to the youngling as simply as he could about how they could transform into their alt. modes without confusing him "Optimus, your parents and I all have a network of these little nodes lined throughout our entire frames that when they receive a message from our processor via the master node if you like, tell our body parts to shift and move so we can transform into our vehicle modes."

"Cool so when will I be able to do it and why can't I now?" The little grey mechlet inquired.

The medic glanced across to Bluestreak "Normally you wouldn't be able to transform until you're about twenty five vorns and in your final upgrade, although on this planet since your following the time scale of a year, it'll probably be about twenty five Earth years* instead." He put the tool down that he was using and wiped his hands upon a cloth "and the reason why you can't transform is because your little nodes aren't awake like ours and won't be until you're in your third upgrade."

The youngling frowned "So I'll be able to transform, but not become a cool car like father or dad or uncle Sunny n Sides?"

"Afraid so." Ratchet replied as he picked up his portable scanner and ran it over the plasma cannon he had been working on.

"Oh." The little one said sounding rather disappointed about that fact before he returned to his drawing. However the little grey mechlet was quiet for another five minutes as he contemplated his next question but decided to ask it regardless "Ratchet where do sparklings come from?"

The CMO froze in what he was doing before he glanced at Bluestreak, the little one was gazing at him intently, head cocked to the side curiously whilst sensory panels were waving back and forth lazily "I don't think you should be asking that just yet." He couldn't believe that of all topics, the little grey mechlet had to ask that since it was one subject he didn't plan on venturing near until Bluestreak was old enough and capable of understanding the physics behind the whole process.

"Why?" The youngling asked, small frown making its way onto his facial plates.

"Because you're not old enough." The medic replied, he resisted the urge to face palm at the lame response that left his vocaliser. What he meant to say was _'okay what fragger mentioned it in front of you, then dared you to ask me just so they could see how much of an aft I was going to make out of myself trying to answer you.' _He decided he was going to track down the glitch later and reformat them into a kitchen appliance then sell them on Ebay. After all sparkling creation was one delicate matter that was never to be brought up in front of a youngling of Bluestreak's age.

"I'm seven." Bluestreak pointed out.

Ratchet chuckled "Not old enough besides where did you overhear someone talking about sparklings?"

"'Raj and Hound were talking about it, they said they wanted one so I wanted to know where they would get one from." The youngling replied. The CMO couldn't help the surprised look appearing upon his facial plates, Mirage and Hound were talking about starting a family? It retrospect it was about time one of the other bonded couples on the base planned on having one of their own so Bluestreak had someone he could play with.

The CMO cleaned his hands again before plucking the little grey mechlet off the berth and settled him on his left hip "You see those who want a sparkling make a wish and the cyber-stork brings one to them." He could see the question forming in Bluestreak's facial features and decided to beat him to it "but only adults are allowed to make this special wish."

"So if I ask daddy and father real nice, they'll ask the cyber-stork to bring a brother or a sister?" The youngling asked.

The medic chuckled as he made his way over to his office "Maybe, but they always take a while to get here."

"Why?" Bluestreak inquired.

"Because the cyber-stork has a long way to travel." Ratchet replied "are you really that eager for a sibling?"

The youngling glanced down at a spot on his chassis, his little sensory panels twitching upon his back before the little grey mechlet mumbled into his chest "I like playing with the others but I want someone more of my age." The CMO could recall quite vividly have this conversation with Bumblebee once when the scout was just seven vorns old and had asked the seemingly innocent question of where sparklings came from. Bumblebee had confessed that he was lonely having no-one of his age to play with, but it was something unfortunately the scout had to learn to acknowledge that there would be no more sparklings, not until at least the war was over anyway. The medic however wanted to be there when Bluestreak asked his parents about having a brother or a sister just to see their expressions if not to be on hand when Prowl glitched and crashed from the sudden surprise request. He was surprised that the bonded pair hadn't contemplated the thought of having another sparkling, but then again they had their hands full just simply looking after Bluestreak whilst juggling the responsibilities and duties of being second and third in command.

"Want to help me with something?" The CMO asked as he stepped inside his office and made his way over to his desk, the youngling nodded enthusiastically "alright we're going to do a little inventory check, I'll let you count and I'll mark it down."

"Okay." The little grey mechlet replied as the medic retrieved the data-pads with the list of supplies on before heading back out of his office and toward one of the storage areas. With Bluestreak's help, inventory check didn't take long in the slightest, in fact all of the inventory checking got done rather than just half of it as Ratchet told the youngling which tools and supplies to look for before he began counting them. Once it was done, the CMO handed Bluestreak the data-pads and led him through the base to the section that housed the offices, the medic pressed the pad on the outside of Prowl's office and waited for the command to enter. They heard a faint 'come in' and the Hummer allowed the youngling to step in first once the doors had whooshed open, both the tactician and Optimus Prime were engaged in talking over some battle plans and scenarios before the small interruption.

The little grey mechlet walked up to the desk and held out the data-pads "Here you go father."

A small smile appeared upon the Dodge Charger's facial plates as he accepted the pads "Thank you Blue." he glanced up at Ratchet "I assume these are those overdue inventory check lists."

"They are." Ratchet replied.

"I helped count." Bluestreak proudly announced which earned him a chuckle from Optimus.

"Come on Blue, we have one to give to Wheeljack remember." The CMO said.

The youngling turned to face him "Oh yea." He trotted back over to the medic's side before taking the next data-pad off the Hummer "bye father! bye Optimus!"

The Prime couldn't help but grin "Bye Bluestreak."

The little grey mechlet smiled back in return before grabbing one of Ratchet's hands "Come on Ratchet." He began tugging the medic toward the doors, the chartreuse mech shook his head in amusement and allowed himself to be pulled out of the office and into the hallway. Ratchet led the enthusiastic youngling through the hallways to Wheeljack's lab so Bluestreak could give him the list of materials he was allowed to commandeer for his experiments, however along the way Hound and Trailbreaker met up with them and presented the youngling with a small cacti plant they had brought back from Australia. The little grey mechlet was overjoyed as he always was when he retrieved gifts from the other Autobots regardless of what it was, and happily named the plant 'Spikey' before asking that one of the two mechs hold on to it for now.

They reached the engineer's lab and Ratchet stepped inside first making sure that Wheeljack wasn't performing any experiments or about to make something explode before letting Bluestreak inside. The youngling happily gave the Lancia Stratos the inventory list before glancing around the lab and finding many of objects lying cluttered together on the shelves fascinating. He spotted a translucent blue sphere sat on the edge of a desk and trotted over to it whilst the medic and engineer were engaged deep in conversation, he stood on the tips of his pedes to reach it. He grabbed it and inspected the ball like object and gave it a squeeze, it contracted in on itself slightly but quickly regained its shape. The youngling was about to put it back when an idea struck him and he raised his arm as high as he could before dropping the ball as hard as he could, the blue sphere hit the ground and bounced off in a random direction.

"What the?" Ratchet began when he heard the thunk and turned in time to see a blue ball pass him by before Bluestreak was chasing after it "Blue come back here!"

"It's okay Ratch, its harmless." Wheeljack reassured him as he watched the little grey mechlet chase the ball, catch it in mid-bounce then dropping it again to pursue it, giggling all the way "in fact I almost forgot about it."

"Are you sure its safe? As I don't want to be explaining to Jazz and Prowl why I have their son in pieces in my med-bay?" The CMO asked as he fixed the engineer with a stern look.

The Lancia Stratos' head fins flashed "Positive, I got that one off Sam a couple of days ago, I was fascinated by how a tiny plastic ball can bounce with so much momentum."

"As long as its not likely to knock him out." The medic said as he carefully tracked the little one's movements in the lab.

"It won't honest, you can check it if you're that paranoid." Wheeljack replied as he too watched Bluestreak chase after the ball as it bounced off numerous surfaces, the youngling giggling loudly.

Ratchet glanced at the engineer "I have to be when it comes to you, I know what you're like, get something new and its likely to explode." He checked his internal chronometer and realised what time it was, something he normally didn't do unless he had to "Blue come on its lunch time."

"'Kay." The youngling called but not before grabbing the blue ball in mid bounce then trotting back over to the two adults, he held the little blue sphere up to the Lancia Stratos with a sheepish grin upon his facial plates.

Wheeljack's head fins flashed in a smile "Keep it Blue." The little grey mechlet looked surprised at that, but none the less clutched it next to his chest plates before following the CMO out of the engineer's lab and towards the recreation room.

The medic gave Bluestreak an hour to drink down his ration of energon and watch any cartoons playing on the small TV screen that had been commandeered from somewhere before taking him back to the med-bay. The chartreuse mech focused work upon Ironhide's twin plasma cannons intending to get them repaired before the weapons specialist made his way down and began complaining about how much he was missing his 'babies', whilst explaining to Bluestreak about what various parts did and how they worked before retreating to his office once the repairs were completed on them. The youngling sat opposite the Hummer for most of the afternoon and into the early evening drawing or playing upon his game pad whilst Ratchet went through the medical reports awaiting his attention, before the little one slipped out of his chair with a single data-pad clutched in his diminutive hand. The little grey mechlet made his way round and came to stand beside the chartreuse mech, little sensory panels waving back and forth.

"Ratchet?" Bluestreak asked in a somewhat timid voice. The CMO cast the youngling a single glance and saw bright baby blue optics looking up at him "could you read me one of the books on here, you don't have to if your busy and I'll wait until father or daddy reads me one, but I was wondeirn' if you could maybe …." The little one trailed off from the long sentence he had just spoken. The medic chuckled as he sat back in his seat, he was getting bored anyway and thinking of taking a break from the reports. He picked up Bluestreak and settled him in his lap, the youngling shuffled himself into the right side of the larger mech's chassis before handing over the data-pad.

"Any in particular?" Ratchet asked as he thumbed through the collection upon the pad, it seemed Jazz and Prowl had compiled a list of not only Cybertronian bedtime stories but human as well.

"Umm." The little grey mechlet began as he leaned forward to look through the list before he spotted a title he liked "that one."

"Alright ready?" The CMO asked, Bluestreak nodded as he settled himself against a warm chassis to listen "once upon a time there were three little mechlings ….."

It was late in the evening when Jazz finally made his way down to the med-bay, it had been a long day and right now he just wanted to pick up Bluestreak and return to living quarters. He could have left Prowl to grab their son, but his mate had informed him that he would be late since he and Optimus still had a few battle plans to get through. The saboteur had happily told the pair not to stay up late much to the Prime's amusement before heading down to the repair bay. He palmed the pad on the wall next to the doors and walked into the main bay once the doors had whooshed open, the Solstice glanced around the room finding it both empty and quiet and wondered briefly where his offspring and Ratchet had got too until he made his way over to the CMO's office. He had to look again when the sight before him didn't quite register the first time, a grin over took his face plates as he leant against the door frame with his arms folded across his chest. Ratchet was slumped in his chair, deep in recharge and curled into the right side of his chassis was Bluestreak who was also fast asleep.

_**::/Prowler drop whatever ya doin' an' come down an' take a look at this.\\:: **_The Solstice transmitted over the bond he shared with the tactician.

_**::/I'm busy at this current moment in time.\\::**_ Prowl told his bonded.

_**::/It'll just take five minutes then ya can go back to it.\\::**_ The silver mech responded.

There was an exasperated sigh from the other end of the link _**::/Alright I'll be right down.\\:: **_

Deep down Jazz always knew the gruff medic was a softy and here he was proving that point quite well, it was a fantastic Kodak moment that deserved to be captured and placed in the youngling's photo album along with the other somewhat discriminating photos of the other Autobots showing their soft side to the little grey mechlet. He knew that if the twins had been down here before him they would have captured the moment then held onto the photo to use for future blackmailing purposes. The silver mech glanced toward the doors when his disgruntled mate walked through them, Jazz placed an index finger upon his lip components gesturing for his mate to be quiet as the tactician made his way across.

_**::/You better have a good reason for pulling me away.\\::**_ Prowl demanded as he joined his side.

The saboteur frowned _**::/Anythin' concernin' ya son is always a good enough reason.\\:: **_He gestured inside the office and the black and white poked his head in, within a few seconds a small smile worked its way onto the Dodge Charger's facial plates and his door wings fluttered upon his back. Jazz chuckled at the twitching of the back appendages before returning his gaze to the scene in front of him.

"What the slag are you two gawkin' at him." Ratchet grumbled at the pair of them as he on-lined his systems and glared at the bonded pair stood in the doorway of his office.

"Evenin' Ratch." Jazz greeted the CMO "see ya got lil Blue inta recharge for us."

The medic glanced down to see the youngling happily tucked into the side of his chassis, fast asleep. A smile appeared upon his lip components at the sight of the little grey mechlet "And it wasn't even my intention to get him into recharge before you came down to pick him up." The Hummer pushed himself up out of his chair making sure he had a good grip on Bluestreak as he stood, the youngling stirred out of his recharge and baby blue optics flickered on-line.

"Waz goin' on?" The little grey mechlet asked sleepily.

"Your parents are here Blue." Ratchet told the little one.

Bluestreak peered over the chartreuse mech's shoulder and smiled sleepily at his creators "Hey Daddy, hey father."

"Hey baby." The saboteur responded as he took the youngling the CMO and settled him on his right hip "have fun today?" Bluestreak nodded enthusiastically before tucking his helm into the side of his carrier's neck, fully intending to go back into recharge "Thanks for lookin' after him Ratch." Jazz glanced down at his son and smiled before glancing at the Hummer. Prowl was busily picking up Bluestreak's toys and placing them inside the carry round bag before he returned to his mate's side, handing the toy bag over to the Solstice.

"No problem." The medic replied with a small smile upon his lip components "today has been interesting to say the least." After undoing all of the kinks in his joints, the Hummer sat back down in his seat, his gaze never leaving the little grey form "by the way you'll want to track down Hound or Trailbreaker as they have Blue's plant 'Spikey'."

The tactician raised a single optic ridge up at that "Spikey?"

"A cactus they brought back from their trip in Australia." Ratchet replied "and Blue will want this." He accessed his sub-space and removed the little blue ball he had stored in there, he bounced it prompting the black and white to catch it "its a gift from Wheeljack and its perfectly safe I made sure of it."

"Will do." Jazz said "an' Ratch, thanks again." The CMO nodded.

"Bye Ratchet." Bluestreak uttered as he glanced over at the medic, baby blue optics dimming signalling that the youngling was more than ready for recharge.

The Hummer chuckled "Night Blue, sweet dreams."

The bonded pair smiled then turned to leave, but not before Bluestreak spoke up "Father, Dad can I have a brother or a sister pretty please?"

Ratchet watched in amusement as Jazz became speechless whilst Prowl's logic circuits glitched and he collapsed backwards unconscious. Yep today had been a good day regardless of how it had started out at the beginning.

**A/N: ***apparently we all stop growing at this age so I thought I'd use this little fact I picked up from somewhere. And yes a mention of sparklings! Could it be a potential for a later chapter? Well you'll just have to find out! Anyway another one down, three more to go! Up next: Of Younglings and Weapons Specialists


	12. Of Younglings and Awkward Explanations

**Title:** Of Younglings and Cranky Medics – Bonus scene

**Rating:** T

**Universe:** Movie 07/09 verse (AU)

**Characters: **Youngling Bluestreak, Prowl, Jazz & Ratchet

**Pairing: **ProwlxJazz,

**Warnings: **fluff, a try at humour, slight smut between 'male' characters

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition.

**Summary:** After Bluestreak pops the 'big' question to his parents about a sibling, it's up to one of them to try and explain to him just exactly where sparklings come from.

Because a wonderful lady requested it so the plot bunnies took charge and demanded that it be written lol. Requested by **optimusprime007**, hope you enjoy hun! And I really want to thanks everyone who have reviewed these so far and given me requests, you have made me a really happy person *gives out hugs to everyone* Anyway here's the Bonus scene!

_'Blah' - thinking_

_**:://Blah\\:: - bond communication**_

* * * * * * * * * *

Prowl groaned as each of his systems rebooted and on-lined, he could hear the soft beeping above his head as his audio receptors powered up which immediately told him he was in the med-bay before his optics flickered on-line and un-shuttered. As usual after every processor crash he had, he felt groggy and had to put up with the processor ache that would plague him for several hours. He just wished he could remember why he glitched, until it came back to him like a Decepticon fist to the facial plates. Bluestreak had asked them about a baby brother or sister after they had come down to retrieve him from Ratchet (well Jazz did only for the saboteur to demand his presence a few minutes later), the tactician felt his logic circuits beginning to protest at even thinking along the lines of creating another sparkling. Were they even ready to think about bringing another sparkling into the world? After all Bluestreak pretty much preoccupied most of their time, not to mention they had fallen into a routine when it came to fitting their youngling in and around their duty schedules. But a sparkling would change all that the moment it was born.

Prowl understood why his son had asked since he himself had grown up with two older brothers (one of which was no longer with them), and Jazz had, had an older brother as well, so it was only natural that Bluestreak would want a sibling too. However the one thing that he was having trouble processing was why now? The Dodge Charger would have expected the question much sooner from his youngling that meant someone had brought up the topic of sparklings which would without a doubt had Bluestreak's attention. The question was who had brought it up and why? Was one of the other bonded couples on the base thinking about starting a family? If that was the case then he needed to find out who it was and begin preparations in upgrading the base's security as soon as possible. But right now he had a spark-mate currently calling out to him with a concerned look upon his facial plates.

"Prowl babe you okay?" His spark-mate called out to him.

"I'm fine." The tactician responded as he pulled himself up into a sitting position, although he grimaced slightly when his door wings began to ache which meant he had been lying upon his back for a while. A check of his internal chronometer confirmed as much once he saw the date, he glanced at his bonded "I've been out for ten hours?"

"Yea ya hit ya head pretty hard when ya crashed." Jazz told him.

"Well looks whose finally decided to rejoin the land of the living." Came Ratchet's voice as the CMO left his office with a certain youngling in tow. Bluestreak glanced at his father nervously and remained partially hidden behind the medic. The chartreuse mech removed a scanner from sub-space and ran it over the black and white's form before checking the monitors "you're going be fine, but I'm not going to release you back onto duty today."

"What? Ratchet I …." Prowl began in protest.

"Nope not going to happen Prowl, you can catch up on everything tomorrow as for today I want you to rest after your .. fall." Ratchet told him with a smirk pulling at one corner of his lip components, the tactician shot the CMO a glare.

"Is father alright daddy?" Bluestreak asked timidly as he made his way out from behind the medic and stood beside his carrier, his baby blue optics staring up at him intently whilst little sensory panels waved back and forth "coz I didn't mean for him to fall and hurt himself, but I really want a brother or a sister and I know how to get one real easily ...." The abrupt powering down of systems had the youngling glancing up at the berth his father was on, in time to see his sire drop backwards none too gracefully as his processors glitched a second time.

"Oh for sparks sake." Ratchet cursed as he quickly checked over the tactician's vitals before meeting Jazz's concerned look "he's going to be fine, his systems will reboot in a few minutes."

The saboteur nodded before turning his attention to his son who was twiddling his fingers nervously, the Solstice scooped the little grey mechlet up and settled him on his left hip "Ya father's gonna be fine Blue, but tell me who told ya that gettin' a sparklin' was real easy?"

"Ratch did." Bluestreak responded "he said that only adults were allowed to make the special wish and a cyber-stork would bring them a baby."

"He did, did he?" Jazz asked as he glanced at the medic who cringed at the explanation the youngling had just given to his carrier, before turning his attention back to Prowl as the tactician's systems began rebooting.

"Is he right dad? About the cyber-stork?" The little grey mechlet asked.

"Umm kinda." The saboteur replied a little lost as how to go about this.

"Right about what?" The Dodge Charger asked as he sat up again, one hand clutching his aching helm.

"Ratchet told Blue, that a cyber-stork brings sparklings to those that make a special wish." The Solstice replied, he watched in amusement as the CMO pointed a glare in his direction before quickly excusing him, intending to disappear before he was dragged into this.

"That's illogical, that's not how sparklings are created." Prowl said as he glared at the medic's retreating back before his gaze fell on his bond-mate and son. Jazz was looking at him with a some what horrified expression upon his facial plates whilst Bluestreak was looking at him with a frown upon his young features. The tactician suddenly realised what he said and suddenly wished for his logic circuits to glitch again so he wouldn't have to deal with this somewhat awkward situation that he had haphazardly walked into. And neither his logic circuits or his battle computer were offering up any possible solutions since he knew that if he avoided the questions now, Bluestreak was bound to ask them again later.

"Then father where do sparklings come from?" The youngling asked as he glanced at his sire with a curious look upon his facial plates, his helm cocked to the side.

Jazz suddenly deposited the little grey mechlet on the same berth his bonded was sat on, startling both Prowl and Bluestreak "Just remembered I need to see to somethin'" And with that he made a quick retreat out of the med-bay.

_:://Thank you Jazz.\\:: _The tactician growled over their shared link as he watched his mate leave the repair bay in a hurry.

_:://No problem love, he's all yours.\\::_ The saboteur responded.

The Dodge Charger grumbled under his breath and cursed his mate silently, he would get Jazz back for this. But right now he had a certain curious youngling looking up at him with an expectant look upon his facial plates. He was sure the universe hated him right about now, as how in the pit was he going to explain to Bluestreak about where sparklings actually came from without traumatising him? He knew Jazz would have been better suited for this conversation rather than him, but his traitorous mate had made beeline out of the med-bay intending to leave him to it regardless of the fact he knew Prowl's logic circuits were likely to glitch in the process.

"Father?" The youngling inquired as he glanced up at the black and white mech, his head cocked to the side whilst his little sensory panels waved back and forth.

"Hmm." The tactician hummed in response, not sure of where to actually start this awkward conversation with his son.

"Where do sparklings come from if a cyber-stork doesn't bring them?" The little grey mechlet asked.

_'Oh Primus give me strength.' _The Dodge Charger pleaded as he looked skyward before he glanced down at his creation "See Blue a sparkling is created when two mechs or a mech and a femme really love each other and they ….." Primus was he really doing this? He resisted the urge to go and find one of Ratchet's wrenches and take himself off-line with it.

Bluestreak looked at him curiously "They what father?"

Frag how was he going to say this? "They …. they share a special hug." He could sense his bond-mate sniggering over their spark link and promptly shut him out.

The youngling frowned up at his sire "But you give daddy plenty of special hugs but a sparkling's never come along."

Prowl could feel Barricade probing their sibling bond, curious as to what had got his normally calm and collected brother so nervous all of a sudden, but the tactician promptly shut him out too as the last thing he needed was for the shock trooper to find out about the conversation he was having Bluestreak. Barricade would never let him live him it down if he found out. The black and white mech was really wishing for some sort of distraction right now whether it be the twins brawling or Decepticon related. But it seemed Primus didn't feel like obliging and therefore he was stuck here with his youngling who had an infinite amount of curiosity stored in his little frame.

"That's because Blue it has to be a certain type of hug." The Dodge Charger said, relaxing his door wings which were beginning to protest from being held up high on his back "you'll understand when you get much older."

"Oh okay." The little grey mechlet replied, although Prowl could tell Bluestreak wasn't quite happy about that idea and soon voiced his protest "why not tell me now?"

"Because ..." The tactician began, although he couldn't quite come up with a valid enough reason except for the fact the youngling was only seven.

"I promise not to tell daddy that you told me or uncle 'Cade." The little grey mechlet said as he gave his sire the kicked turbo-puppy look.

The Dodge Charger flinched at the almost pleading look his son was giving him, his logic circuits were presenting him with the fact that he was better off just being straight with his offspring now, then risk Bluestreak constantly asking him later of worse finding someone who would tell him where sparklings came from. The black and white mech vented a sigh out of his intakes before taking in a deep intake of air to calm his systems "Remember when Ratchet told you about a little blue orb inside your chest that he called your spark?" The youngling nodded "well … when two adults want to have a sparkling, we have a special hug like I mentioned before, but we have to …. we have to let our sparks meet each other and from there a baby spark is made." Pure and simple, he decided and not too traumatising. At least he didn't have to explain that a sparkling was created only once the sparks fully merged and overload was obtained to give it the energy to actually form.

"So I came from one of your sparks?" Bluestreak inquired.

"You did yes." Prowl replied.

"Okay least I didn't come from a cabbage patch like uncle Sides said." The youngling said. The tactician's optics narrowed, so the red front-liner had tried to explain to the little grey mechlet where sparklings came from, he decided he would need to have a word with a certain Lamborghini when he saw him. But right now he sat and listened to Bluestreak talk about the pros and cons of having a brother or a sister. Yep it was going to be an exceptionally long day for him.

* * * * * * * * * *

After the fiasco that had him explaining the 'birds and the bees' to Bluestreak in the least traumatising way possible, Prowl was glad to finally put his youngling down for the night and retreat to his own room, although knowing Jazz like he did, he expected his mate to at least poke some fun at him for dropping himself in it like he had done.

"Remind me never to do that again." Prowl told his mate as he entered the room and made his way over before he sat on the edge of their berth, elbows resting upon his knees.

"Your fault love ya stepped in it real good." Jazz replied from where he was happily sprawled out on his back upon their berth with arm pillowed beneath his horned helm "an' ya know how curious Blue can be when he wants to be."

The tactician glanced over his shoulder, moving a door wing out of the way as he did so before he gaze fell upon the lithe frame of his mate "Hmm a trait he inherited from you." The Dodge Charger said as he sat up straight before bowing his back to undo any kinks in his spinal strut.

"Have ya thought about it though?" The saboteur inquired, his gaze fixed upon the ceiling.

Prowl slid himself fully onto the berth before lying down upon his side, a frown appearing upon his facial plates "About what?"

"Another sparklin'?" The Solstice asked as he glanced at his mate as he rolled onto his side "I mean Blue's seven now an' now's probably a good time as any ta have one." The tactician rolled onto his back making sure that his door wings were flat beneath him before his gaze settled upon the ceiling above him. In honest truth he had never thought about having another sparkling as he was quite happy with just having Bluestreak, but he knew it would be nice to have another bitlet running around the base. Not too mention he was sure their youngling would make a fantastic older brother as he was calm and patient, if not somewhat energetic. However he couldn't help but be concerned about what would happen if they did agree to have another, who would end up being the carrier since there was a fifty/fifty chance either one of them could be? Would its temperament be anything like Bluestreak or would their second be bratty? Would they be able to fit a sparkling into their already demanding daily routines? What about the Decepticons? Would they pose a more considerable threat once they learned that another sparkling had been sparked? These were a few of the many questions he had, that were beginning to bug him. However he knew deep down Jazz yearned for another sparkling, and even if they did decide on creating another they would work out any worries and concerns they had like they did when they were expecting Bluestreak.

"No I haven't." Prowl began "but … it would be nice to have another running around."

"Creatin' chaos, makin' a bigger mess, sleepless nights, purging, ya sure ya want another?" The saboteur asked as he snuggled into his mate's side, he heard the tactician chuckle before he pushed himself up into a sitting position "well if that doesn't put ya off, I'm more than happy ta go for it, after all it only takes one 'special hug' remember." He held out his arms to his mate, a clear invitation. The Dodge Charger snorted as a smile curved his lip components upwards before he pushed himself up and embraced his mate.

"I know." He whispered into the Solstice's audio "maybe we should talk about this more in the morning?"

"Maybe." Jazz smirked as he trailed one hand over the nearly invisible seam in his bond-mate's chest plates.

Prowl grabbed his wrist and held it a safe distance from his frame before having to do the same to the other when it began wandering across his plating "Bluestreak is in the other room and unless you plan to traumatise him, don't or I'll cuff your hands to the head rest and leave you there."

"You know that won't stop me." The saboteur responded right before he sent an image across their bond whilst making sure their youngling wouldn't be able to see it.

"You're incorrigible." The tactician muttered as he tried to ignore the sudden want he had for his spark-mate.

"And you love me for it." The Solstice whispered into his audio "but ya right, you've traumatised Blue enough for one day, last thing we need is ta actually give him a demonstration of how its done." Prowl scowled at his mate when he heard those words, as far as he knew he hadn't traumatised Bluestreak with his somewhat simple enough explanation. Besides it was better that the youngling hear it from them than someone like the twins who had happily informed Bumblebee about where sparklings had come from when the scout was a youngling, although Ironhide had beaten the scrap out of them afterwards for nearly traumatising Bumblebee.

"Father? Were you and daddy going to have a special hug?" Came Bluestreak's voice from the door way, the bonded pair pushed away from each so quickly that the Dodge Charger slipped and fell over the side of the berth, and ended up as a heap upon the floor. The black and white glared at his spark-mate who chuckled at him, before the tactician picked himself up from the floor, brushing himself off.

"No we weren't lil Blue." Jazz told their son.

"Oh." The youngling replied, disappointment could be heard clear in his voice as he glanced down at the floor, his little sensory panels drooping upon his back.

"Blue c'mere." The saboteur called, the little grey mechlet glanced up and met his carrier's gaze before he made his way over. He scrambled up onto the berth and happily sat himself in the Solstice's lap, he glanced up at his carrier, gaze curious "ya father an' I were talkin' about havin' a sparklin', but we wanted to know if ya really would like ta have a brother or a sister?" Bluestreak glanced from his daddy to his father who dipped his head, the youngling nodded his head enthusiastically "its settled then."

"Apparently so." Prowl replied _:://we better start planning then love.\\::_

_:://Only if ya actually agree to this, ya got as much chance as I have at becomin' a carrier.\\:: _Jazz told him as their gazes met whilst Bluestreak chatted quite animatedly about the prospect of being an older brother.

_:://I know and I'm ready to deal with whatever comes our way.\\::_ The tactician responded as he sat down upon the edge of the berth. He just hoped those words weren't going to come back and bite him in the aft when they finally tried for their second sparkling.

* * * * * * * * * *

**A/N:** Okay I know I said of Younglings and weapons specialists was up next but this one demanded to be written after someone planted the idea in my head *heads desk* lol, and poor Prowl I think he was significantly traumatised after having to explain to Bluestreak about the 'birds and the bees' *sniggers*


	13. Of Younglings and Weapons Specialists

**Characters: **Youngling Bluestreak, Ironhide, Jazz, Barricade, Lennox and a mention of others

**Warnings: **fluff, possible use of profanities

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition. Nor do I own any of the cartoons*, movies* or TV series* mentioned in the fic either

_Request for Bumblebee's girl, so here it is hun! I realise these are no longer turning into one shots but rather leading from one to the next lol. Anyway sorry its a bit later than usual but I've had real life to contend with. But here it is!_

He could hate this little miserable planet better known as Earth sometimes especially its weather patterns. For three whole days he had been cooped up inside the base as a tropical storm raged outside, normally this would have been no problem to Ironhide, but bad weather always brought out the worse in Sideswipe as the resident prankster made it his goal to annoy just about everyone including him. Usually he would head down to the target range or the new battle simulation room, but the humans were currently monopolising them with training drills and combat scenarios. Normally he would join them since it was imperative that the humans were able to work alongside the Autobots during combat situations, however Ratchet had strictly forbidden him from going anywhere near the training area until the injury to his right knee (courtesy of Sideswipe's pranks) had fully healed. The CMO had even booted him out of his quarters that morning to stop him from sulking, something the weapons specialist would never admit to of course. So here he was sat in the recreation room at one of the corner tables disassembling and reassembling his twins cannons so he could clean them and keep himself preoccupied for an undetermined period of time.

The large black mech glanced up briefly when a weather report appeared upon the flat screen TV, he cursed under his breath when he saw that Diego Garcia was forecast for another couple days of rain and lashing winds. Grumbles from around the room told him that the humans were none too pleased about that either since it meant that all flights to and from the island had to be further postponed. The GMC Top kick truck went back to meticulously cleaning his cannons until he glanced up again when he heard the recreation room doors whoosh open, his gaze settled upon the some what frazzled looking silver frame of the resident saboteur as he entered the room. Perched upon Jazz's right hip was Bluestreak who looked rather subdued and was seemingly quiet.

"Just th' mech I was lookin' for." The Solstice began as he made his way over "I gotta favour I need ta ask of ya."

"I'm guessin' it involves looking after lil Blue?" Ironhide inquired as he sat back in his chair "what happened to Mirage?"

"The mech's currently in Alaska chasin' up a 'con signal, an' I can't have Blue fer th' day as much as I want ta as I gotta cover for Prowl." Jazz replied as he set his youngling down, although the little grey mechlet protested the move by his carrier and attached himself firmly to a silver leg.

The weapons specialist raised a single optic ridge at Bluestreak's behaviour as the youngling wasn't usually clingy except that one time he had Rust spot, normally he was happy to go to his caretakers and guardians without a fuss, but something was upsetting the usually chatty and happy youngling.

"What's wrong with his logicalness?" The black mech asked.

"Pit slaggin' Sideswipe and his need ta pull pranks, I swear he does it on purpose just ta drive me round th' bend." The saboteur replied looking none too pleased. So the Lamborghini pit spawn had struck at the 2IC in his quest to 'lighten everyone's spirits'? Ironhide knew that if Sideswipe didn't slow down or stop his prank pulling, he could see a few of his comrades including Sunstreaker, using the red front-liner as target practise "so could ya...?"

"I'll take him." The weapons specialist told him, however he wasn't sure whether the little grey mechlet felt the same way. He had dealt with clingy younglings before and could remember Bumblebee's tantrums quite vividly, but Bluestreak was far different from what the scout had been and he had never once seen the little grey mechlet throw a tantrum before, and was certainly not looking forward to it when he did.

Jazz knelt down to glance at his son "Blue I have ta go now, but I want ya ta stay wit' 'Hide."

"I wanna stay with you." The youngling whined as little sensory panels drooped so they were almost flat against his back.

"I know ya do but I gotta check on ya father then I have ta go on duty." The saboteur explained to his offspring softly and calmly "I tell ya what, ya do this fer me an' I'll ask Skyfire about takin' ya out on his next expedition, how's that sound?"

The little grey mechlet vented a sigh "Okay."

Ironhide vented a sigh of relief when Bluestreak agreed to remain here as he was concerned that the youngling was going to put up a fight and cause Jazz more unnecessary emotional and mental stress. He watched as the saboteur gave his creation a hug before pushing himself up onto his pedes before the Solstice glanced at him.

"Thanks again 'Hide." The silver mech said.

"No problem." The weapons specialist replied, he watched the 3IC leave the rec. room a few seconds later after he had said goodbye to his offspring before the black mech's gaze fell upon Bluestreak "Blue." He called, the youngling turned to glance at him, looking slightly crest fallen "c'mere youngun." The little grey mechlet made his way over before he clambered up onto the seat next to Ironhide, the weapons specialist picked him up and settled the little one on the left side of his lap, Bluestreak took the opportunity to snuggle into the GMC Top kick truck's chassis. Ironhide honestly missed the feeling of having a youngling use him as a source of comfort, since although Bumblebee still sought him out for a hug when he was feeling vulnerable or to simply sit in the older mech's presence, it wasn't quite the same. But it was still nice to have the Camaro to come and look for him for comfort when Optimus and Ratchet weren't available to give it to him.

"How'd that happen?" Bluestreak asked a few moments later, his baby blue optics settled upon the flexiseal covering the weapons specialist's right knee before he glanced up at the older mech.

"That was courtesy of your guardian Sideswipe and his fra... annoying pranks." He was quick to correct himself since he knew no swearing was one of the few protocols in effect around the youngling.

"Daddy said uncle Sides was bein' more naughty lately and that's prob'ly why father's poorly." The little grey mechlet mumbled into his chest plating.

"It takes more than what Sideswipe's got in his arsenal ta take down your sire, its probably something work related, don't let it eat at your diodes kid he'll be fine." The black mech replied as he gently tilted the little one's head up and gave him a reassuring smile, the little one nodded "want to help me with something?" Bluestreak looked at him curiously "I need to finish cleaning the right cannon and put it back together, wanna help?" The youngling nodded once again before being shown how to clean the dissembled parts then how to reattach them. During the process, Ironhide explained to the little grey mechlet about the functions of each part as simply as he could. The weapons specialist quickly discovered that the youngling was happy to listen and take in everything that the older mech was telling him, he even pointed at the various parts and recited back to the older mech what he had been told.

Then once the plasma cannon was cleaned and Ironhide made sure everything was assembled properly by activating it, the weapons specialist commandeered some paper and some pens from the humans much to their amusement, although the black mech had them quietly submitting when he aimed a dark glare in their direction. For much of the morning and into the early afternoon, Ironhide amused the youngling with his stick men drawings and played a few games of noughts and crosses. Although in the end the game grid became much larger and the noughts and crosses evolved into other shapes and drawings. Then finally when they had run out of paper, the little grey mechlet rooted round in his carry bag for his game pads and the little box full of game chips and challenged the older mech to beat him in a few games, since the youngling understood that the bulky black mech wouldn't be able to do too much running around with a poorly leg.

The weapons specialist then deposited the little grey mechlet upon the couch after a few rounds upon the game pads, he commandeered the remote for the flat screen TV from the humans and handed it to Bluestreak. The youngling took it from the older mech and began flipping through the cartoon channels until finally he found Ben Ten* much to the disgruntlement of the humans who had children back at home who were also into the cartoon series. The little grey mechlet's tastes in cartoon shows did vary thought from time to time, although his all time favourite was still Lilo & Stitch* which he watched straight after once the other cartoon had finished.

"Didn't realise you liked Lilo & Stitch* Ironhide?" Major Lennox inquired as he appeared beside the couch the pair of Cybertronian's were sat on.

"I don't." The weapons specialist replied as he glanced at the human "but I like this six two six character, he's destructive."

"Uh-huh next you'll be saying Pokemon* is cool." Lennox said with a grin.

"Better than that Little Pony* slag Annabelle makes you watch." The black mech responded with a light glare. Bluestreak never flinched or glared at the GMC Top kick for using a profanity as he was simply too engrossed in the TV to pay attention.

Will shuddered "Don't remind me, but now I have to put up with this other crap they show kids nowadays, bring back the classics."

"Ooh Lilo & Stitch*." Came Sergeant Epps' voice from behind the Major, Lennox cast him a funny look over his shoulder "what? The little fuzzy blue dude is cool."

"Man you have just lost all credibility with me." Will told him as he began walking away.

Robert Epps followed after him "Says you who thinks Thunderbirds* was way cooler than Captain Scarlet*, that show was awesome."

Ironhide shook his head in amusement as he listened to the Major and the Sergeant argue about over a list of TV series they thought was 'way cooler' when they were growing up. Even mature adults could be complete juveniles, he mused. He turned his attention to the youngling sat on the other end of the couch, the little one was holding onto the remote and was currently clutching it next to his chest plates whilst baby blue optics were fixed upon the TV screen, and little sensory panels fluttered and twitched upon Bluestreak's back. The weapons specialist knew that if one of both twins strode into the room now, they would have a hell of a time in trying to get the remote off the youngling. Although the GMC Top kick hardly wanted Sideswipe's presence in the room with the way the glitch was acting at the moment.

During the course of the afternoon, the channel Bluestreak had been watching was now showing a variety movies such as Finding Nemo*, Monsters Inc.* and Open season*. Ironhide was surprised to see off duty personnel or those taking a break pull up chairs and sit down to watch the films, even Lennox and Epps who had been arguing for most of the afternoon over trivial things, sat down to watch the movies much to the weapons specialist's amusement. Also during the movie run, Bluestreak had shuffled his way across the couch, remote still clutched in his hands, until he was finally snuggled against the GMC Top kick's side. Ironhide could see Lennox wanted to make a comment about how much of a softy he was being toward the youngling, but simply shot the Major a dark glare to deter him from saying anything, although it didn't stop the Master Sergeant from snapping a photo on his cell phone with the intention to use as future blackmail against the weapons specialist. Ironhide decided he would humiliate the two men later, but for now he simply sat back in the couch and watched the movie currently showing upon the TV screen.

* * *

Barricade distinctly hated Earth's weather even after eleven years of being stuck upon the little mud ball, he still couldn't find it in his spark to even like the planet. He hated the weather and he hated its inhabitants, but he stuck it out because the most precious thing to him was here; his brother's offspring Bluestreak whom he was particularly fond of and had a soft spark for. Not that he would ever let the Autobots know it; after all he had a reputation to keep up. He, like the misfits of the Autobot faction was beginning to go stir crazy with being stuck at Diego Garcia, but a stroke of twisted luck would have him looking after his nephew for the next day, an easy enough distraction from boredom. The shock trooper entered the rec. room and headed across to the couch where he could hear soft snoring noises, he crept up to it before he glanced over the top only to snort in amusement at the sight before him. The Autobots weapons specialist, a mech that was to be feared of upon the battlefield was currently slumped in his seat with a certain grey youngling curled up in his lap, both deep in recharge. He wouldn't admit it out loud but he knew his nephew was in good hands so it wouldn't be too bad if he left him here, however the scary medic had demanded that he go and find the youngling and keep him preoccupied.

The Mustang reached over the top of the couch and poked the weapons specialist none too gently, Ironhide stirred and immediately aimed a cannon over the top lip and straight in the black and white's facial plates. It was only once the older mech had fully on-lined was the plasma cannon retracted, although it was replaced with a dark glare instead.

"What do you want?" Ironhide demanded as he shifted in his seat whilst trying to make sure he didn't disturb Bluestreak, the youngling stirred briefly but fell back into recharge.

"To collect my nephew." The shock trooper replied gruffly "his parents are currently ... indisposed."

"I don't even want to know what that means." The weapons specialist said as he glanced down at the little grey mechlet in his lap, happily curled up. A small smile touched his lip components at the familiar memories he had of Bumblebee doing the same when he was a youngling. The scout always chose his lap if Optimus and Ratchet were unavailable and fall into recharge there, the Camaro explained to him much later that he always felt safe when they were around and knew that by falling into recharge there meant that no-one could get to him. And it seemed Bluestreak was following Bumblebee's example by doing the same, Optimus would tell him that it was probably something about him that the youngling found comforting. Although he would probably say that it was because most of the bots on the base found him intimidating and wouldn't mess with him when a youngling was involved.

"Prowl is still in the med-bay out cold thanks to that juvenile glitch you have of a front-liner and Jazz is swamped with the double the amount of paperwork, and probably won't get to see the light of day for a couple of days." Barricade responded. He was half tempted to leave Bluestreak here and find Sideswipe and beat his aft for causing his nephew unnecessary grief by ensuring both his parents would be unavailable, but he decided he rather liked his plating intact and that wasn't going to happen if Sunstreaker butted in to save his brother.

"I think..." Ironhide began as he pushed himself out of the couch somewhat awkwardly since he still had Bluestreak in his arms "... its time I had a word with Optimus about shippin' that pit slagger out to Antarctica." The weapons specialist handed the youngling over the shock trooper carefully as not to disturb the little grey mechlet before starting to make his way out of the recreation room.

"Good luck with that, he's also out cold in the repair bay." The Mustang said as he adjusted his hold on Bluestreak.

The GMC spun round to face the ex-con "What the frag?"

Barricade gave him a sideways glance "Hence why I said Jazz was swamped."

"Right that's it, I'm gonna find that little pit spawn and toss his aft through the transwarp gate, I don't care where he ends up." Ironhide growled as he began stalking toward the doors causing any humans stepping into the room to quickly scramble out of the way in fear of getting stepped on. The shock trooper chuckled as he glanced down at the youngling in his arms and was surprised to see the little grey mechlet's baby blue optics staring up at him.

"Is 'Hide really gonna hurt uncle Sides?" He asked, worry laced in the tone of his voice.

"No he's just going to send him somewhere for being a bad Autobot." The Mustang replied. Although why they didn't do that in the first place he had no idea, it would have prevented such carnage from occurring in the first place.

"Okay." Bluestreak responded sleepily before dropping back off into recharge. Barricade shook his head in amusement as he began heading out of the recreation room. He had every intention of putting the youngling down for the night and helping the weapons specialist track down the pit spawn Lamborghini and toss his aft through the transwarp gate before the base dissolved into complete chaos through a free for all pranking spree.

* * *

**A/N: **Don't worry there will be sparklings I promise. Next one up: Of Younglings and Rhythm. Although it may be a while as I'm gonna focus upon the next chapter of Renascentia, but we'll see how the plot bunnies behave.


	14. Of Younglings and Rhythm and Rhyme

**Title:** Of Younglings and Rhythm & Rhyme

**Rating:** K

**Universe:** Movie 07/09 verse (AU)

**Characters: **Youngling Bluestreak, Jazz, Prowl & mentions of others

**Pairing: **ProwlxJazz,

**Warnings: **complete and utter fluff

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition. The songs mentioned in the fic don't belong to me either.

**Summary: **Bluestreak learns about the finer points of Cybertronian culture from a certain saboteur

Yep another request for **Optimus Prime 007**, hope you enjoy hun!

_{Blah} – Bond Communication_

It was the one thing he enjoyed the most when he was with his spark carrier, well other than the games they played and the different places they visited. But none of them compared to listening to his daddy hum and sing a myriad of different songs. Sure on the occasion he had heard the others hum and sing a tune they liked, even the human soldiers had been heard singing from time to time much to the chargin of their comrades. However none of them soothed or calmed him with the different notes they produced the way his spark carrier did. Bluestreak knew it was down to the fact that his daddy had often sung to him when he was a sparkling and his father often told him that his carrier had even hummed to him before he was born. In fact the youngling refused to go into recharge until his daddy had sung to him, he was even lucky on the occasion to have his sire sing to him as well, although he could tell that his carrier was much more confident with singing to him than his father was.

Bluestreak glanced up from the toys he had been playing with in his room when his audio receptors detected the first soft notes of humming from the living room, his little sensory panels immediately swept upwards as they too detected the soft vibrations before the youngling was scrambling to get to his feet. He crossed his room and peered round the doorway to see his spark carrier happily humming to himself whilst he went about tidying up the room, the little grey mechlet also couldn't help but be fascinated by the small simple dance steps his daddy was integrating into his walking. Bluestreak had seen the numerous dance moves humans could perform when he watched the music channels on the TV screen in the recreation room with Sam and Mikaela, but the ones he was watching being performed now were much different. The youngling also noticed he didn't recognise the tune his carrier was humming and now singing in a strange language, after all he had never been acquainted with his species native language.

The little grey mechlet stepped out of his room immediately garnering the attention of his daddy who simply smiled at him without pausing in the words he was singing. Bluestreak crossed the room and clambered up onto the couch, happily watching his carrier dancing before he was picking up a few stray lyrics and notes. The youngling began bouncing in his seat and swaying his upper body in time to the musical performance Jazz was giving whilst his little sensory panels began fluttering upon his back, but it wasn't long before the song his carrier was singing was over and the little grey mechlet began giggling as he clapped his hands.

"Are there others like that?" Bluestreak inquired when his daddy sat down upon the arm of the couch opposite him "and were you singin' that in old Cyber-tron-ian? Because I've never heard those words before and I want to learn them too."

Jazz chuckled as he glanced down at his son "Yea kiddo I was an' its an old song from our planet, th' words are a little complex fer ya but I'll teach ya."

"Yay!" The youngling responded with excitement as he clambered to his feet and quickly made his way over to his carrier "what was the song about? And what was Cybertron like?"

The saboteur couldn't help but look somewhat surprised, Bluestreak had never once asked about what Cybertron was like as he was more focused upon learning everything he could about Earth the older he got. But now he was truly showing a valid interest in their home world, and the Solstice was more than ready to teach his creation everything he could. Especially when it came to the old traditional songs and dances that had been performed long before the war had started. After all he had learned and mastered most of them, although he would certainly introduce the youngling to a little of Cybertron's pop culture which he knew would annoy the ever living slag out of Prowl. His mate had never been liked much of the music the youths of their species had enjoyed listening too, and knew that if Bluestreak discovered a song he liked, he would play it none stop until Jazz found himself sick of hearing it.

"Th' song was about the Prime's of old, an' rather me tell ya about Cybertron, why don't I show ya." The saboteur told his offspring as he held out a single clawed hand for him to take, the youngling glanced at him curiously before taking his daddy's hand. His carrier allowed him to step onto the arm of the couch and onto the top before Jazz swept him off and settled him onto his left hip, the little grey mechlet knew walking on the couch wasn't normally permitted but his carrier was making an exception this time. The silver Solstice stepped into his room and set his son down upon the large berth before moving round to one of the sides and knelt down upon the floor.

Bluestreak watched as his carrier reached under the berth to pull out the boxes he knew was stored under there. He had never seen what was inside of them, although he was sure that he remembered raiding one of them when he was very small. The youngling jumped slightly when one of the large boxes was placed upon the berth behind him, he immediately turned around and settled upon his knees as he watched his carrier pry off the lid with clawed fingers. Inside the box was numerous items, many of which he knew had to be Cybertronian in origin as he didn't recognise them, he watched as his daddy plucked several different items out of the box and set them beside him, but what caught his attention was the large ornate box at the bottom.

"Dad what's that?" Bluestreak inquired as he glanced at his carrier.

Jazz glanced up from where he had been flicking through the large data-pads that served as photo albums, he followed his son's gaze to the box resting at the bottom. A smile quirked the corners of his lip components when he recognised the familiar box, he pushed himself up and reached inside to retrieve it. The youngling pulled himself up onto his feet and made his way round to his daddy's side where he sat down beside him, he watched as his carrier smoothed a silver hand over the polished but worn surface of the box.

"I almost forgot about this Blue." The saboteur told him as he undid the locks on the side "I've not played this in a while." The Solstice flipped open the lid and gently removed the protective cover to reveal a beautifully decorated musical instrument* inside the box. It was long and thin with one end larger in width than the other, it also appeared to be made out of a material similar to wood. Eight thin steel like strings were slightly elevated from the main body which was coloured a rick black, although most of it was broken up by the intricate gold design running from tip to bottom of the instrument. The wider end of the instrument curved down clearly demonstrating that it was meant to rest upon a knee whilst the other curled upwards so it could be grasped, although it really depended upon how the artist wanted to play it.

Bluestreak emitted a small whistle when he saw it before he glanced up at his carrier "Can you teach me how to play it?"

Jazz chuckled as he removed the stringed instrument out of its box and set it down upon his lap, he traced clawed fingertips over the porcelain surface before he gently plucked one of the strings. Immediately the room was filled with a soft note from the instrument and was swiftly followed by others as the saboteur let his fingers trace across the thin steel strings in a melody he was quite fond of. Bluestreak sat close to his carrier's side watching as his daddy lost himself to playing the instrument, although he couldn't help but be fascinated by the sound of the different notes as they were influenced by how long or how quickly his carrier held or plucked the strings.

A small smile tugged at the corners of the Solstice's lip components once he finished playing before he met his son's gaze "Sorry 'bout that Blue, kinda got carried away, been a long time since I last played this."

The youngling flicked his sensory panels as he glanced at his carrier curiously "Why's that?"

"The war lil Blue, there was no reason ta keep on playin'." Jazz told him sadly.

"Oh." The little grey mechlet responded, his little sensory panels drooping

"Until now, ready?" The saboteur asked as he moved the instrument from his lap, Bluestreak nodded enthusiastically before picking himself up and plonking himself in his carrier's lap. The Solstice placed the stringed instrument across the youngling's thighs, although both ends came to rest upon his knees then Jazz took each of his son's hands before getting him to extend his index fingers. The saboteur guided the little one's fingers toward the strings and quickly showed him how to pluck them before letting the youngling have a go, Bluestreak was rather tentative with his single strokes upon the strings, afraid that he might damage them, but the more he played the single note, the braver he became. The Solstice chuckled when he heard the immature chirps and whistles escaping his youngling's vocaliser and at the sight of the little one's sensory panels fluttering from accomplishing the simple task. Then once he knew Bluestreak was confident enough with playing the singular note, that he began teaching him others whilst reciting an old verse he had been taught in order to remember the basics. Jazz couldn't help but feel his spark swell with pride at listening to his son singing the verse with him as they played the stringed instrument between them, it seemed that the little grey mechlet had an audio for music just like he did and was having no problem remembering exactly what he was teaching him.

Which was exactly how Prowl found them later in the day when he trudged back to quarters after a gruelling day at the office, at first it had come to no surprise to him at the sound of music coming from his quarters. But what took him completely and utterly by surprise was the familiar sound of the instrument the moment he had keyed in the code, and the doors had whooshed open. After all it had been a long time since he had last heard his bond-mate play it. The tactician stepped quietly through the living room to the bedroom where he could hear the music playing, however he found himself slowing in his steps when he heard not only Jazz singing but Bluestreak as well. The Dodge Charger peered round the doorway and felt his spark flutter in his spark chamber at the sight of seeing his spark-mate sat upon their berth with their creation perched in his lap, a smile immediately worked its way onto his lip components as he silently watched the pair singing and swaying to the melody they were creating.

The black and white mech had not seen his spark-mate play the stringed instrument in a long time, in fact the last time he had seen him play it was in the crystal gardens of Praxus. The musical performance had been amplified by the resonation of the glowing crystals, it had both been a beautiful if not an amazing sight to see the crystals vibrate and produce their own song in response to the melody being played. An image he had readily captured and kept close to his spark since it meant so much to him, and now after a few millennia he was able to hear to his bonded play the instrument once again. Prowl waited for them to finish playing before he made his presence known, however he had a feeling that the saboteur already knew he had been there when he glanced up and gave him a knowing smile.

"Evenin' love." The Solstice greeted him as he lifted the Zither like instrument out of the way so Bluestreak could get up to greet his father.

"Hi father." The youngling called as he rushed across the berth, the tactician scooped him up and hugged him close to his chassis. The little grey mechlet wrapped his arms around his sire's neck as he hugged him in return before Bluestreak wiggled to get down, the little one's azure gaze meeting his father's "daddy's been teachin' me how to play, it looked really hard at first but I can play a couple of basic songs now." The youngling tugged upon his father's hand and led him to where his carrier was sitting, Prowl sat down beside his bonded whilst the youngling reclaimed his spot in his daddy's lap before he launched into a long winded explanation of what he had been doing that afternoon.

The tactician listened intently to his son's long winded sentences, although he couldn't help but find himself curious to find out about one thing from his bonded _{Why now after all this time?}_

Jazz glanced at him, their gazes meeting _{It just felt right ta start playin' it again. That an' Blue was curious.}_

_{I'm glad you found the spark to play it again, I've missed it.}_ The Dodge Charger told him.

_{So have I love, I tell ya what, I'll play that melody ya always loved me playin' in th' crystal gardens.}_ The saboteur responded.

A small smile tugged at the corner of Prowl's lip components _{It won't be the same without the accompany of the crystals resonation.}_

_{No it won't.} _The Solstice responded before an idea dawned upon him_ {do you have that small crystal formation here on Earth, or did ya leave it on th' Ark?}_

_{It's here on Earth.} _The tactician told him before he reached into his sub-space and drew out the crystallised structure, he smiled when he saw Bluestreak's baby blue optics settle upon the crystal cluster.

"I've seen ones like that on TV, they're really pretty." The youngling told his father.

The Dodge Charger set it upon the berth-side table, close to Jazz "Except this one isn't from Earth Bluestreak." He watched as little sensory panels rose upwards whilst a curious look appeared upon his son's facial plates "this one is from Cybertron, it use to grow in a large garden full of these."

"Wow." The little grey mechlet replied as he glanced at the smooth polished surface of the crystals, he didn't dare touch it since he knew what his parents were like when it came to him touching things he shouldn't.

"Blue go sit with ya father." Jazz told the youngling, Bluestreak glanced at him questioningly but complied the none the less. He picked himself up, crossed the small space and plonked himself in his sire's lap but his gaze settled upon his daddy. The saboteur picked up the discarded instrument and settled its weight across his lap although he grasped it around the neck elevating it slightly, then he allowed his clawed fingers to sweep across the steel strings in a composition he had not played in a very long time.

Prowl off-lined and shuttered his optics as he listened to the familiar melody being played, but not before he captured the image of his bonded beginning to play the instrument. It was exactly how he remembered it from all those vorns ago, and he couldn't help but reminded of the few precious times they had spent in the crystal gardens as close friends before the war began and took all of that away. The tactician found himself humming the tune quietly, however he still hadn't heard the one thing he was hoping to hear; the resonation from the crystal cluster. He began to wonder whether it was simply too small, after all the last time Jazz had played the musical instrument he had been surrounded by them. But then he heard it, a subtle vibration that was neither their systems running or the bases coming from just a couple of metres away, his door wings swept upwards as they too felt the vibrations in the air and with a soft flicker of the appendages he was able to determine where it was coming from exactly. The Dodge Charger couldn't stop the smile from tugging at the corners of his lip components as he on-lined his optics as the resonation became louder, he glanced down when he felt the subtle shifting of air against his plating, he smiled when he saw Bluestreak's sensory panels fluttering before they too twitched upwards when the small array of crystals began 'singing' their own song as well.

Prowl's gaze then transferred back to his spark-mate and he couldn't help but allow the smile to grow wider or his own door wings fluttering at the sight of Jazz losing himself to the composition he was playing. The tactician shuttered his optics once again allowing the melody to wash over him, after all the beautiful mathematics of the piece that the saboteur had composed himself, were enough to send him into a completely relaxed state and forget the rest of the world for those few precious moments.

It was a few more days before Bluestreak found himself back in under the watchful optics of his carrier for the day. The youngling had requested for his daddy to play the Zither like instrument again, and Jazz had happily indulged his son, after all it gave him the opportunity to begin composing new pieces of music that he intended to play to the rest of the Autobots, especially those who remembered the classical Cybertronian arts. The saboteur had been surprised when Mirage had approached him during a duty shift and told him that he had overheard the impromptu musical performance the other day, and that he intended to return to the Ark through the transwarp gate to collect his own valued musical instrument that closely resembled a flute. The Solstice had been ecstatic to hear about that and told him that once he had brushed up on his skills that they should compose a piece, that was after they had hunted down any other Autobot who also had an audio for music.

Bluestreak had been truly excited when he heard one of the others could play a musical instrument, he was told by Mirage that the spy would play to him once he had brushed up on his old skills. But in the mean time, the youngling had turned his attention to another subject from Cybertron's culture; dancing. He had seen his carrier dance many times and sometimes there was an odd bounce or step in his father's normally steady gait and now he wanted to learn the art of dance too. He had easily mastered a few of the Earth dances such as the Macarena*, Saturday Night* and the Cha,Cha Slide*, but then how could he not, after all they were played every time a party was thrown much to the protests of some of the Autobots and the base personnel. However he was now interested in learning some of the Cybertronian dances that the mechs and femmes were performing upon the small screen of the data-pad. His daddy had told him when they had started watching the the video, that the dances being shown had been a part of an annual festival that had taken place in a city called Praxus. Bluestreak had also discovered that it was the same place his father and his uncle had been sparked in which meant it was a part of him too. The youngling watched the file a while longer taking in every graceful and fluid movement being performed, when he spotted someone quite familiar yet very different amongst the dancing mechs and femmes. Actually someones he came to realise when he hit the pause button.

The little grey mechlet glanced up at his spark carrier from where he was sat in his lap "Is that father and uncle 'Cade?"

Jazz chuckled when he recognised the two forms "It is lil Blue, they would take part in the festival every year, was how I met ya father."

"Cool." Bluestreak said as he turned his attention back to the screen "I wanna learn it."

The saboteur shook his head in amusement, he suspected as much since Praxus was pretty much apart of his creation's heritage regardless of the fact he had been here on Earth. The Solstice knew much of the traditional dances after learning a few of them, and being taught the other ones by Prowl himself. And now it seemed that he was being given the opportunity to teach them to Bluestreak, although he would have to leave the intricate movements of the sensory panels to his spark-mate since he didn't posses the back appendages.

"Well Blue although ya father is th' professional, I can teach ya as much as I can." Jazz told his creation.

Bluestreak's baby blue optics lit up and his sensory panels rose upwards and fluttered "You will?"

"Yea." The saboteur chuckled "come on I'll show ya th' basic steps." The youngling scrambled out of his daddy's lap and clambered off the berth, the Solstice slid off the padded surface a few seconds later before he led his son to the main living area. The first port of call was to move all of the furniture out of the way so they had as much room as possible, the six year old youngling was only capable of helping to move the small bits of furniture out of the way, leaving his carrier with the struggle to shift the couch. Then once that was done, Jazz made his way across to the centre of the room before beckoning his creation to join him, the little grey mechlet moved to stand in front of him then glanced up at him expectantly.

"Ready?" The saboteur inquired, Bluestreak nodded his head enthusiastically and the Solstice couldn't help but chuckle "every dance starts off with an initial stance, like this." The silver mech placed one clawed hand upon the centre of his chest plates whilst he cupped the other in front of him, he glanced down to see that his youngling had done the same. Jazz smiled before he flexed his left arm out sideways slowly then he arched his right arm out to the side as he brought his left back in, he placed his clawed hand back upon his chest plates. A quick glance told him Bluestreak had followed his movements and was waiting patiently for the next set of moves. The saboteur led him into a few graceful arm and feet movements that closely resembled Tai Chi here on Earth before he twisted upon his peds, one arm folded across his chest the other resting against the small of his back. His keen audios quickly detected the little mechlet's stumbles as he too attempted the twist. The Solstice's quick reflexes prevented Bluestreak from tripping over his own feet and performing a spectacular face plant, he snagged the youngling's scruff bar and righted him. The little grey mechlet grumbled at his lack of co-ordination that earned him a chuckle from his carrier.

"It takes practise lil Blue." Jazz told his son "ready to try again?" Bluestreak looked dubious at the thought "you'll be fine." The youngling nodded before venting a sigh to calm himself out of his intakes, he did the twist he had been shown only to tumble when his equilibrium was thrown off again. Luckily enough his daddy was close enough so when he tumbled at least it was into him and not to the floor.

The youngling growled in frustration. How was it that he couldn't do one simple move? He decided to vent his anger in the only way he could "Frag!"

"Bluestreak."The saboteur rumbled in warning as he cast him a disapproving look.

The little grey mechlet shifted sheepishly upon his peds "Sorry daddy, won't happen again I promise."

"Anyway I know what's happenin' lil Blue." His spark carrier told him "Ya sensory panels are th' problem."

Bluestreak glanced over one of his shoulders and at the little back appendages that twitched tauntingly back at him. There were times that he disliked the sensory panels he had been born with especially now, they made him clumsy and they hurt when he fell on them or laid on them when he was sleeping. But he understood that as he got older that the clumsiness would go away, although he had seen his father's much larger wing appendages nearly floor him when he had been taken by surprise by his daddy or the other Autobots on the base.

"When ya go inta th' twist, flick them in okay." Jazz said, Bluestreak nodded "okay one more time." The youngling tried the twist one more time doing what his daddy had instructed him to do. This time he was far more successful and couldn't help but give a woot of victory, he spun round to face his carrier with a grin on his facial plates when he heard him chuckle.

The pair of them spent the rest of the afternoon performing a couple of the traditional Praxian dances. Then once Jazz was confident that Bluestreak had grasped the basic steps, he dug out a couple of music files and instructed his youngling how to choreograph it to the music. There were a few tumbles but they were nothing that time and practise couldn't sort out. The saboteur couldn't help but notice how quickly his son was picking up the dance steps like he had done with the Zither, not too mention that it was the only time that he was quiet too as he concentrated on following his lead. Not that he would exchange the youngling's talkative nature for anything in the world as he knew that if Bluestreak was talking, that everything was alright.

The Solstice couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head in amusement when Bluestreak had swayed in his seat and hummed to the tune playing softly in the background during dinner, a sign that he was truly enjoying himself. The youngling had asked him if he could teach him some street dancing moves, Jazz couldn't help but say yes when his creation gave him the kicked turbo-puppy look. The little grey mechlet had picked up on that easily as well, although he couldn't help but goad his daddy into showing off some of the intricate moves he knew he was capable of doing. The saboteur had ceased their dance lesson not long after that when he noticed Bluestreak was beginning to tire, then he lightly pushed the weary youngling into the wash rack for a bath. Once he was certain that his son was thoroughly clean, helped him towel dry since Bluestreak was pretty much nearly recharging on his feet despite his protests that he wasn't tired.

Then once that task was completed, the Solstice led the little grey mechlet out of the wash rack and into the living space. The youngling requested to be picked up and Jazz happily obliged him, he plucked him off the ground and settled him against his chassis. Bluestreak wrapped his arms loosely around his carrier's neck and settled his legs over silver hips before tucking his head into his daddy's neck. The saboteur made his way over to the stereo and put a soft piece of music on, then he made his way back to the space he had made in the centre of the room. He began humming along to the song and swaying gently upon his peds as he allowed his finned helm to rest against his son's as he clutched him close. The youngling murmured something sleepily before he slipped into recharge, however Jazz wasn't ready to relinquish his hold on his creation just yet. After all he didn't get that many quiet moments like this with the little grey mechlet any more so he continued to hum softly to his offspring.

Which was exactly how Prowl found him several minutes later after returning from his duty shift. The tactician glanced around the room curiously when he noticed that most of the furniture had been moved until his gaze fell upon the sight in the middle of the room, a smile tugged at the corners of his lip components as he crept over. He snuck an arm around his bonded's waist so he white clawed hand came to rest upon the small of Bluestreak's back, he then brushed his lip components against Jazz's left audio horn as he easily fell into step with him.

_{Evenin' love.}_ The saboteur greeted him over the bond.

_{Evening.}_ The Dodge Charger responded _{is there any particular reason why the room has been rearranged?}_ The saboteur turned in his embrace and Prowl couldn't help but smile at the peaceful upon their son's facial plates.

_{I was teachin' Blues how ta dance.}_ The silver mech told him.

_{Yea he saw a video file of you an' 'Cade takin' part in one of th' old Praxian festival dances an' he wanted ta learn it.}_ Jazz replied.

The Dodge Charger couldn't help but look surprised at that, he had completely forgotten about the recordings, and that aspect of his life particularly more so after Praxus had fallen. He felt both honoured and humbled that Bluestreak wanted to learn the traditional dances that he had loved so much in his youth, but it also saddened him that the youngling would never be able to experience the chance to partake in one of the festivals like he and his brothers had done.

_{He grasped the basic steps really quickly, but he needs ya tutelage when it comes ta th' sensory panel movements since I'm kinda lackin' in that department.}_ The saboteur told him as he allowed Prowl to pluck Bluestreak out of his arms, the youngling stirred briefly before snuggling into his father's chassis.

_{I'll see what I can do.}_ The tactician responded as he drew his spark-mate in close whilst making sure not to pinch the youngling's sensory panels of crush him between them. The Dodge Charger began humming along with the Solstice before leading him into a new slow dance, happy and content that he was with his mate and child.

**A/N: ***I've likened this to a Chinese Zither or a lute as for some reason I can just imagine Jazz playing one of these stringed instruments. Anyway another one down, eight more to go! Blimey I'm gonna be busy lol. Next one up is: Of Younglings and Racing, then I promise the one with sparklings after!


	15. of Younglings and Racing

**Title:** Of Younglings and Bet taking

**Rating: **T

**Universe:** Movie 07/09 verse (AU)

**Characters: **Youngling Bluestreak, Prowl, Jazz, Barricade and ensemble of others

**Pairing: **ProwlxJazz,

**Warnings: **fluff, use of profanities, humour, slight slash

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition.

**Summary:** Bluestreak fed up of the adults arguing all the time, decides to take matters into his own hands with a little help

Little Authors note, I wanna say a huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed and added this fic to their alerts and favourites! You're all awesome! :) Anyway I have no real explanation for this one other than it just popped out of nowhere and demanded to be inserted before all the others. So enjoy!

_::Blah.:: Radio Communication_

_{Blah} – Bond Communication_

Bluestreak vented a sigh of vexation out of his intakes as he settled his chin upon his folded arms, he had been silently observing his father and his uncle from where he was sat for a while now whilst they argued between themselves. Over what? He couldn't remember but he knew it had been petty to begin with. All attempts to stop his sire and Barricade from bantering hadn't worked, well short of screaming at the top of his intakes, so the little grey mechlet had given up and decided to wait and see what would happen. He had already called for his spark carrier through the bond who told him he would be there as soon as he could before the first fist was thrown. Bluestreak had been alarmed at that but his daddy had simply chuckled and told him it wouldn't happen, however the youngling wasn't quite convinced and ended up watching the two black and whites like a hawk. He had decided that if his father and his uncle wanted to get nasty with one another, then he would resort to extreme measures and scream the whole base down. The little grey mechlet vented another unhappy sigh from his intakes whilst his little sensory panels drooped further until they were almost folded upon his back. Bluestreak hated seeing any of his caretakers or guardians arguing, especially more so his parents. Although he had been lucky enough that he had never heard them shout at one another one, but instead experienced their immaturity of not speaking to one another until at least one or both of them apologised.

Which brought him back to his father and his uncle and how to convince them to stop bickering. He remembered once when Sideswipe decided to settle his differences with Sunstreaker by racing him, although he knew it hadn't well since Hound had to escort him away quickly before it got ugly between the two brothers. Which was why Bluestreak was currently trying to determine who was the fastest between his sire and Barricade as he was very close to shouting the idea out to the two black and whites, although he figured that would only spark a new argument to start between his father and his uncle. The youngling glanced up when he felt the soft padding of the seat he was sat upon shift under his backside, he glanced up and made a noise of relief when he saw the familiar silver frame of his spark carrier.

"How long have they been goin' at it lil Blue?" Jazz inquired as he glanced across to where his spark-mate and Barricade were still arguing.

"For a while now daddy, I don't know why they keep arguin' either." Bluestreak replied sadly as he shuffled closer to his carrier before tucking himself into his side.

"Sounds like they've got some issues ta sort through." The saboteur told him. He also knew lately that Prowl and Barricade weren't getting along lately, why? He wasn't even sure himself but knew that it wouldn't be long before they came to blows physically rather than verbally "what's up baby Blue 'sides the obvious?"

The youngling glanced up at his carrier "Who do you think is the fastest? Father or uncle 'Cade? Coz I remember Sides racin' Sunny an' they were much friendlier afterwards." The little grey mechlet frowned "though they fought each other first but Hound made sure I didn't see that because he thought it was nasty of them, but I don't think father and uncle 'Cade will race each other."

The Solstice chuckled at the long winded sentences leaving his son's vocaliser "Why don't we find out?" Bluestreak perked up at that although frowned when his daddy covered his audio receptors with his clawed hands "I suggest th' pair of ya pack it in now or Prowl's interfacin' privileges get revoked!"

The response was immediate as both black and whites turned to face Jazz, Barricade looked disgruntled that the argument had been interrupted whilst Prowl looked somewhat shocked at what had just left his spark-mate's vocaliser. The saboteur heard a few humans snigger as they passed whilst the Solstice simply aimed a reprimanding look in his bonded's and the shock trooper's direction.

"Finished?" The silver mech inquired as he allowed his hands to drop when Bluestreak pushed them away with a grumble "now I don't know what th' hell has gotten inta you two, but th' rules are clear . . no fightin' in front of Blue." Prowl managed to look positively chagrined and refused to meet his bonded's stern gaze whilst Barricade simply scowled at him "by rights I should make ya apologise, but I know ya too well ta know ya won't." Both mechs opened their mouth plates intended to argue but Jazz held up a single clawed hand to prevent them from doing so.

Bluestreak tore his gaze from the two black and white mechs and glanced up at his carrier "Daddy they both say that their sorry and promise not to do it again.

The saboteur turned his attention from his son and fixed the two black and whites with a look of triumph, he felt the faint trickles of the apology from Prowl and Barricade over the spark-link they all shared. He knew they would apologise to the youngling even if it wasn't verbally, but he felt it was needed to shove them in that direction first.

"Anyway Blue an' I have a matter to attend to, an' I don't wanna hear another peep outta either of ya." The Solstice told them, ignoring the curious look from his creation and the identical frowns upon his bonded's and the shock trooper's facial plates "come on kiddo."

The little grey mechlet cast a glance at his father and uncle before he followed his spark carrier out of the rec. room. Bluestreak followed after him wondering where they were going and whether his daddy was still mad at his sire and Barricade. If that were true then the next few days were going to be unpleasant until they made friends again. The youngling's sensory panels flickered when he noticed that they were heading to the office section; his carrier definitely had to be mad especially when they finally arrived outside of Optimus Prime's office. The little grey mechlet shrunk behind his daddy as he heard the deep authoritative voice of the Autobot leader grant them permission to enter, then his carrier lightly pushed him inside the room. He almost squeaked when his baby blue optics met the darker azure one of the larger mech, although Optimus' gaze moved to meet his daddy's.

"What can I do for you Jazz? Bluestreak?" The Prime inquired as he put down the report he had been reading upon the polished surface of the his desk.

Jazz glanced at his somewhat shy offspring before he met his leader's gaze "Optimus we have a favour to ask."

**A few days later . . . .**

Prowl stalked into the recreation room, his mood dark as he made his way over to the energon dispenser. Normally he would head to his office to begin his workload after a briefing, but his spark-mate had locked him out and had refused to relinquish the codes until he had, had his second energon ration of the day (the very same one he had intended to avoid in favour of work).The tactician had attempted to order Jazz to give up the codes but the crafty glitch had proclaimed that he was following Optimus' 'orders'. He grumbled to himself as he filled a cube and had just turned from the dispenser when Barricade stormed into the room, his livid crimson optics settling upon him immediately, the Dodge Charger groaned inwardly, he really wasn't in the mood to deal with his brother right now.

"What the frag is this?" The shock trooper demanded as he brandished a data-pad at his younger brother "I am not slaggin' here to entertain you glitched Autobots."

Prowl took the data-pad that was close to jabbing him in the chest plates and began to read the contents only to nearly drop the pad in shock at what he saw. His surprised azure optics met narrowed and angry crimson ones, was this some sort of cosmic joke?

"I ..." The tactician began as he felt his logic circuits begin to glitch, he had no explanation for it "I have nothing to do with this."

"Oh really then explain to me why your designation is also on the list then numb nuts?" The Mustang hissed.

Then it dawned upon the Dodge Charger and his optics darkened whilst his door wings flared "I have an idea I know who is behind all of this." Prowl stormed out of the rec. room, ignoring the indignant squeaks of a couple of humans he had nearly stepped on as he made his way to his bond-mate's office. The tactician barely acknowledged any one as he stalked through the corridors before he found himself in front of Jazz's office (he knew contrary to belief, that his bonded did in fact use his own office when he felt the need to), he viciously stabbed the key pad on the wall before he heard a 'c'mon in' from the inside. The doors whooshed open to the sight of the saboteur lounging back in his chair, posture slouched with his peds resting upon the edge of the desk. He also happened to notice that a data-pad was currently in one of his mate's clawed hands and a stylus in the other which he was currently tapping upon his lip components. An unconscious motion that was enough to start his systems revving, he wasn't sure whether the silver mech did it intentionally in order to gain his attention or did it subconsciously without realising. But this was Jazz he was thinking about, it was probably the former knowing the ops mech.

"I don't care what punishment ya gonna dish out, I ain't goin' ya give ya th' codes ta unlock ya office." The Solstice told him without looking up from the report he was reading.

The Dodge Charger growled, he would deal with that issue in a moment. But right now he would deal with this one first "What is this?"

The silver mech glanced up and saw the object that his mate was waving dangerously at him "A data-pad."

"Jazz I don't have time for your smart aft comments, I want to know why you felt the need to enter me into a race without my consent?" The black and white mech demanded impatiently and with a scowl upon his facial plates.

"Oh that." The saboteur responded as he attached the stylus to the side of the data-pad "just so you know it wasn't ma idea … okay so maybe I may have been involved in pushin' th' idea past Optimus, but that was all."

"Optimus agreed to this?" Prowl asked.

"Yea, big guy said somethin' along th' lines of it bein' good fer morale." The Solstice told him.

"I thought the Decepticons being quiet recently was enough to booster morale?" The tactician inquired with a single optic ridge raised, although with the string of brawls and pranks lately, he wasn't surprised that base morale was down "and dare I ask whose idea this was then?"

The silver mech dropped his feet off the edge of the desk and sat forward in his seat "It wasn't Sideswipe's idea if that's what ya thinkin' … nah it was all lil Blue's idea."

The Dodge Charger looked surprised at that "Bluestreak's?"

Jazz pushed himself out of his chair and made his way round his desk, he came to stand beside his spark-mate "Yea, ya kinda upset him th' other day when ya were squabblin' wit' Barricade." Prowl couldn't help but look ashamed at that "Ya know how he is when it comes ta seein' an' hearin' arguments so he came up wit' th' idea of a race ta get rid of th' tension in th' base."

"I see." The tactician replied. He felt terrible now that he had learned that he had upset their son. In all honesty he had forgotten that Bluestreak had been in the room at the time when he had confronted his brother about his breach of conduct toward the animal life here on the island, once again. Barricade had made an off-handed comment about it which had blew it up into an all out argument, and the subsequent upsetting of one youngling. The Dodge Charger was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a gentle touch upon his right elbow, he glanced at his bonded who was giving him an imploring look.

"So will ya do it? Fer Blue?" The saboteur asked.

Prowl vented a sigh out of his intakes, he couldn't believe he was actually going to agree to this. But then again he did kinda owe this to Bluestreak after arguing in front of the youngling "Alright I'll do it."

"Awesome." The Solstice replied as he clapped his hands together bounced upon the wheels in his heels.

"Dare I ask who else I'll be competing against other than Barricade?" The tactician inquired as he watched his spark-mate hitch a hip up on the edge of the desk before his gaze fell briefly upon the suddenly alluring silver thigh that was also resting upon the edge.

Jazz smirked when he saw his bonded's attention waver slightly as he leant back on his hands "You'll be goin' up against Bumblebee, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe since ya know those two can't pass an opportunity like this, Ironhide's competin' an' Mirage was contemplatin' it."

"And your not competing?" The Dodge Charger asked, a single optic ridge raised.

"Ironhide said it wouldn't be fair if I entered it, after all I am th' fastest thing on wheels here on th' base." The saboteur replied with a smirk.

The black and white mech shook his head in amusement "I suppose it would be rather unfair if you did, it would give the rest of us the disadvantage of beating you." Prowl knew what speeds his bonded was capable of achieving and understood that if they let the Solstice race then it would all be over with before the race had even begun "I assume a suitable race course has been selected or planned out?"

"Of course, ya should know by now how ma processor works when it comes ta dealin' wit' non work related issues." Jazz replied as he sat up fully.

"Hmm." Prowl hummed, he was well aware of how his spark-mate's processor worked when it came to something not work related, and that Jazz was notorious for seeing things through to the end regardless of the results.

"Anyway I've got work ta do an' I'm sure ya do too." The saboteur said as he stood up fully before he began pushing his mate toward the doors of his office.

The tactician raised a single optic ridge again at his mate's behaviour "Since when have you ever been focused upon getting work done?"

"Since now." The Solstice replied as he palmed the pad on the wall and the doors whooshed open "I'll see you later love." He pushed the bewildered Dodge Charger out of his office and into the corridor, he gave his mate a small wave before shutting the doors. The silver mech waited for his bonded's footsteps to disappear before he made his way back over to his desk, he glanced underneath to see Major Lennox deactivating the bio-field and signal dampener he had given him.

"I can't believe it man that you got Prowl ta agree ta racin'." Master Sergeant Epps said as he got up from his crouched position and stretched.

"Told ya I was a master at the art of persuasion." Jazz responded with a smirk upon his lip components, he watched as Bluestreak also moved out from under the desk and shaking himself to realign his derma-plating.

"I kept quiet daddy like you asked me too." The youngling said as he grinned up at his spark carrier. The humans chuckled at that.

"Ya did good Blue." The saboteur replied as he smoothed a clawed hand over his creation's helm.

"Anyway we've got a race course to finish planning." Sergeant Grahams said as he tried to drag the data-slate out from under the desk. The saboteur shook his head in amusement as he scooped up the three humans and set them on the desk before reaching down for the data-slate. He picked it up and set it down on the desk then sat down in his seat, he plucked Bluestreak off the floor and set him in his lap then reached over and activated the screen.

"Right where were we?" The Solstice inquired.

**A couple of days later . . . . **

The base had been bustling with the gossip of the race that had been organised, on the side bets had also taken place with duty shifts both human and Autobots being wagered. The last hurdle to overcome to get the race going was pushing the idea past General Morshower, however the man needed no persuasion and approved of their plans under the guise that the runway was being used for 'training purposes'. So with the race going ahead, each of the racers were given a layout of the course and a set of rules to memorise. A few of them were surprised that shunting, side-swiping and shoves were permitted as long as they didn't put anyone at risk, they were also explicitly told that this was all for fun and nothing else, although that fact was lost on both Sideswipe and Barricade. The winning prize after much debate, was a week of vacation time since they couldn't risk anything too big without attracting the attention of one liaison; Director Galloway.

So it was no surprise that Prowl found himself up early on the day of the race after being pounced on by a more than enthusiastic Bluestreak. The youngling had chatted excitedly about the upcoming race, although half of what he said didn't sink into the tactician's foggy processor. He had been tempted to simply go back into recharge, but Jazz simply booted him out of the berth and dragged him to the wash rack before shoving him inside. Once he was clean he was subjected to his mate's 'tender mercies' of having chips and dents buffed out of his plating, a small repaint to cover up any marks and then a wax. The Dodge Charger had told him it was pointless after all it was only going to get ruined, however the saboteur refused to relent and told him that he wanted his mate to be dazzling for the race event, so he submitted himself quietly to his spark-mate's whims whilst his audios listened to Bluestreak's chatter as he also helped in 'polishing' up his father. Then once that task was done and he had downed his morning energon, Prowl managed to escape his mate's and his son's clutches so he could get to his office in order to get some work done.

Luckily enough he managed to get several reports out of the way before Jazz was invading his office and dragging him outside. The pair of them headed over to the runway with the hot afternoon sun beating down upon their backs, they made their way to the assembled crowd of Autobots and humans. The tactician scanned the runway and noticed the faint transparent energy fields that mapped out the race course, he had memorised the layout completely and knew he had to congratulate his mate on his ingenious design. After all the silver mech had taken into respect all of their designs, and their top speeds whilst planning out the race course so it provided advantages and disadvantages to all of the competitors.

"Ready to get this show on the road?" The saboteur asked as he grinned at his mate.

"No." The Dodge Charger replied "you owe me for this Jazz."

"Hmm, we'll see about that love." The Solstice told him with a smirk upon his lip components before he left to meet up with the others. Prowl vented a sigh from his intakes before following after his mate, his gaze immediately fell upon Sideswipe who was loudly proclaiming that he was going to win.

"You have a one in six chance of winning Sideswipe." The tactician told him as he glanced around the tarmac for signs of his son, he spotted him stood next to Optimus who was knelt down next to him.

The red Lamborghini smirked at him "Afraid of losing Prowl?"

"Hardly." The Dodge Charger replied as he glanced at the front-liner "I just hope your gloating isn't all for nothing." The front-liner scowled at the 2IC whilst his twin chuckled darkly.

"Alright mechs save it and move ta th' startin' line." Jazz told them as he gestured toward the white line and the start of the pink barriers.

Sideswipe grumbled something as he stepped past the saboteur with Sunstreaker following close behind. Barricade stalked over to the start line, his mood dark, after all he was none too happy about being involved in this race. In fact he had been against it until Jazz had set Bluestreak on him, he had tried to ignore the kicked turbo-puppy look the youngling had given him, but in the end he had relented particularly more so when he discovered that Prowl would also be racing. Each of the racers took their positions upon the white line that had been spray painted upon the tarmac, the humans began cheering for their selected Autobots as they headed toward where numerous benches, stools and chairs had been set out. Even General Morshower (who was on the base at the time) was joining in with the enthusiastic behaviour of the soldiers. The six Autobots all dropped into their alt. modes and the loud revving of high performance engines filled the air, signalling that they were all ready.

"Hello everyone … wow that was loud." Came little Bluestreak's voice over the loudspeaker, a few of the Autobots and humans flinched at the mechanical squeal from the speakers. A few of the humans glanced across to where Bluestreak was only to smile and start taking pictures on their cell phones, the youngling was currently sat upon Optimus' shoulders with a microphone in one of his hands and a data-pad in the other "okay I'm ready … welcome to the first Autobot race, which was my idea coz I didn't like seein' father an' uncle 'Cade fightin' an' …. oops sorry daddy ..." There was a round of chuckling from those assembled as they all knew how easy it was for the little grey mechlet to get carried away sometimes. Some even chuckled at seeing the two black and white police cars lower themselves on their suspension, possibly hoping that the tarmac would melt and swallow them whole.

It wasn't long before Bluestreak was continuing with his introduction however "... Anyway we hope that everyone has fun today, an' hope that those stinkin' 'cons or that 'evil little man' Galloway doesn't ruin it …."

"Blue." The Prime rumbled, interrupting the youngling's rant.

"Okay, okay … racers on your marks .. get set ..." There was a pause as Bluestreak readjusted his position upon the Autobot leader's shoulders, everyone glanced at the youngling expectantly "...GO!"

The air was suddenly filled with the sound and smell of burning rubber as each of the racers took off. Naturally Sideswipe was the first to take the lead whilst the others were content to just hang back for now, after all there were twenty five laps in all (although Grahams had mentioned that there was usually between seventy to seventy five laps), and knew it was best not to tire themselves out in the first few laps. Sunstreaker did speed up with Mirage close behind him and the pair of them overtook the red Lamborghini on an 'S' bend, but it only prompted Sideswipe to floor his accelerator and shoot off ahead of them, clearly unaware of their plan to tire him out. Bumblebee was happy taunting Ironhide by accelerating so he was in front of the weapons specialist before fish tailing and flashing his indicators, he also broadcasted _'nah, nah you can't catch me'_ over the comm. link. The GMC Top kick truck revved his engine and the Camaro accelerated to avoid the playful shunt aimed for his backside.

Meanwhile the two black and white patrol cars were keeping par with one another, neither of them exceeding a hundred kilometres an hour (sixty m.p.h), that was until a particularly sharp bend came up and Barricade accelerated, the graze was inevitable with how tight it was and the shock troopers right back end grazed Prowl's left front side. Not one to let the intentional side-swiping slide, the tactician floored his accelerator and shunted his brother's rear end, his ram bars denting and scraping the Mustang's rear bumper. Barricade retaliated by slamming on his brakes but the Dodge Charger easily outmanoeuvred him and sped off, the shock trooper raced after him taking each of the curves and bends tightly as he pursued his sibling. However Prowl wasn't slowing down and he easily over took Bumblebee at two hundred kilometres an hour (a hundred and twenty five m.p.h) down the long stretch, the scout squeaked when he felt the rush of air against his left side then again upon his right side when the Mustang passed him moments later. The Camaro raced after the two black and whites with the intention to intervene should their racing become too aggressive, or they abandoned their alt. modes to begin brawling upon the asphalt instead. However it seemed that the brothers hadn't gotten that far yet and were simply trading paint, dents and scrapes at the moment.

The two Lamborghinis and the Ford GT were still 'fighting', although it quickly became apparent that Sunstreaker's and Mirage's efforts to tire out Sideswipe was working as the red front-liner's speed had dropped by ten/fifteen kilometres. It was then that the pair of them stopped their taunting and floored their accelerators and took off leaving the red Lamborghini in their wake. It wasn't long before the two black and whites passed him although not without flashing their lights and sounding their sirens at him in order to disorientate the front-liner, it worked as Sideswipe's speed dropped exponentially. Then to add insult to injury, Bumblebee shot past him seconds later honking his horn at him before he disappeared around the next bend in the course.

_::Not so tough now are ya Sideswipe?::_ Ironhide broadcasted to him over the radio as he also overtook the red Lamborghini.

Sideswipe cursed vehemently in Cybertronian as he watched the GMC Top kick truck also disappeared around the bend several feet in front of him, he still had plenty of time, he would win this race regardless of what the others were currently thinking. Then he would make them pay by unleashing hell upon his week off, Sideswipe chuckled to himself before he put on a burst of speed to catch the others up.

Bluestreak was completely fascinated by the race taking place considering he had the best view with being sat on Optimus' shoulders. It was like one of those racing video games that Sam, Miles (when he found the time to drop by), Major Lennox and Sergeants Epps and Grahams played, just without the violence. Although the niceties didn't last long when he heard from his daddy that his uncle had grazed his father during a tight turn, then his sire retaliated by shunting Barricade before it spilled out into an all out battle between them. The youngling frowned at that, this race was supposed to get them to sort out their differences, not cause further unpleasantness between them. The little grey mechlet allowed his shoulders to slump and his sensory panels to droop, maybe this race wasn't such a good idea after all? He suddenly felt a wave of reassurance and comfort in his spark, he glanced down at his spark carrier and saw his daddy give him a small smile before he turned back to commentating the race.

"Ooo ouch 'Cade's gonna pay fer scratchin' th' dandelion of doom's paintwork." Those words had Bluestreak turning his attention back to the large screen that was currently displaying the 'fight' between Barricade and Sunstreaker. The youngling vented a sigh out of his intakes, maybe his uncle was just mean to everyone else other than him? It would explain why so many of the others were wary of him, and why his black and white caretaker would stay away from them. The little grey mechlet had tried to press any and everyone for answers as to why, but the topic was always changed to something else so in the end he had stopped asking, but it didn't stop him from wondering. Little Bluestreak was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard footsteps, he glanced down to see the 'evil little man' better known as Theodore Galloway. The Director looked completely shocked at lay before him, his mouth agape as he surveyed the scene, seemingly it appeared at first that no-one had noticed his presence save for one little Autobot.

"Hello Mr Galloway." Bluestreak called down from his perch. He giggled when he saw his spark carrier jump out of his plating and move to put Optimus between himself and the 'evil little man.'

The Prime acted much more calmly "Have you come to observe the race as well Director?"

"Race?" Galloway demanded as he glared up at the Autobot leader.

"Don't be mean and spoil everyone's fun." The youngling replied as he folded his arms across his chest and flared his sensory panels.

The Director glared at the little grey mechlet but then visibly gulped when he saw the small silver one poke his head around his leader, azure optics narrowed at him. Galloway knew better than to upset the little one when one of his parents were close by, if his close call with an acid pellet last week was anything to go by.

"Besides Mr Galloway it was the only plausible solution to booster the base morale, not too mention it also serves to get rid of the tension that's been building for weeks now." The Semi Peter-built told the Director.

Galloway was about to open his mouth again when there was a loud crash from the race course, he glanced up at the large screen in time to see the black truck shove the smaller red Lamborghini into the pink wall before accelerating away and leaving the other dazed. He suddenly glanced over the sea of human heads when he heard Major Lennox's voice above the cheering and defeated groans.

"Nice one Ironhide that'll teach that pipsqueak not to mess with you!" Will shouted much to the disgruntlement of the base personnel who had bet upon Sideswipe winning.

The Director sighed, there was no point in stopping this race now, but he was certain of one thing; a certain General and an Autobot leader were going to get a lecture from him about the improper use of the runway, base personnel and resources. However for now he would stay and observe the rest of the race.

The rest of the laps went quickly with each racer competing for the winning position, the twins had been effectively taken out of the fight after Sunstreaker's last encounter with Barricade on the second to last lap. The gold Lamborghini had sealed his own fate when he tried to overtake the shock trooper on the inside, the Mustang had refused to let him pass and drove Sunstreaker to the pink wall and kept him pinned there. The gold Lamborghini had snarled obscenities at Barricade as he tried to shove back, but the shock trooper was much heavier and kept him there until he finally decided to let go.

Sunstreaker suddenly careened the moment the pressure was relieved and he swerved straight into his brother the moment the red Lamborghini rounded the bend, the impact left them dented and dazed. But other than that they were fine, that was until Ironhide in all his sadistic glory passed them and left them choking on thick black exhaust fumes.

Meanwhile the others were racing toward the finish line, although there was hardly any competition for both Mirage and Bumblebee since the pair of them were much faster than everyone else. However that didn't mean that Prowl was willing to give them the advantage, the tactician rerouted much of his energon reserves and remodulated a few of his systems that allowed him that extra speed which brought him almost on par with the two much faster and lighter sports cars. It was one of those moves that Ratchet wouldn't approve of since a few systems had to be bypassed, but the Dodge Charger was feeling competitive now and refused to back down. He easily overtook the Camaro much to Bumblebee's surprise, but Mirage was still that much faster and floored his accelerator to pull away from the 2IC.

_{You know Prowl what you've done is technically cheatin'.}_ Barricade transmitted over their sibling spark-link.

_{Hardly, I've simply improvised.} _Prowl responded as he took the next turn tightly to ensure Bumblebee couldn't pass him on the inside _{after there were no rules that stipulated that some modifications could be made during the course of the race.}_

_{It's still cheatin' Prowl.} _The shock trooper told him.

_{You would have thought of the same thing had it come to you.} _The tactician replied _{in fact I'm surprised you've not used one of your dirty tricks in order to win this race.}_

_{Now what kinda mech would that make me? But apparently your mate has had some influence on you, I always thought you were one to follow the rules not bend them?} _The Mustang said as he began remodulating some of his own systems in order to gain some ground and catch the others up front.

_{Bending the rules is hardly a crime.} _The Dodge Charger replied as he watched Bumblebee easy pull past him, he decided to allow the Camaro this victory since most of his systems were moving into the cautionary amber zone.

_{Guys I thought the idea of this was fer ya ta work out your differences, not add to them?} _Jazz inquired over the spark-link _{'sides Blue's tapped inta the link an' I can tell ya he's not too happy wit' either of ya.}_

Both black and whites grumbled something unintelligibly over the spark-link, but none the less agreed to a truce. After all they were doing this for Bluestreak.

Bluestreak was none too happy when he heard his father and uncle arguing over the bond and frowned unhappily, he wanted them to get along not fight all the time. It seemed that his spark carrier had picked up on his unhappiness and told his sire and Barricade off over the bond, the pair of them once again apologised to him much to the amusement of his daddy. The youngling was brought out of his thoughts when there was a loud round of cheering and he glanced toward the finish line where he could see the blue and white form of Mirage, he began cheering as well and nearly tumbled off Optimus' shoulders with his enthusiastic waving, he was lucky that the Prime had a firm hold of his legs or he would have greeted the floor instead.

Bluestreak then wiggled to get down the moment Mirage crossed the finish line, Optimus chuckled and obliged him as he set the youngling down on the asphalt. The little grey mechlet rushed across the tarmac and darted between the humans who were moving to congratulate the spy now that he was in bipedal mode, whilst others were heading toward Bumblebee as he drove over.

"'Raj! 'Raj! You won!" Bluestreak shouted as he rushed up to the Ford GT and launched himself at the unexpected mech, the spy let a small chuckle as he managed to catch the enthusiastic youngling in time and lifted him up. The little grey mechlet wrapped his arms around his neck and gave the somewhat startled Ford GT a hug then wriggled to get down the moment he saw his sire "Father!" Bluestreak rushed off the moment he was set on the ground, the youngling launched himself at his father knocking the unsuspecting mech onto his aft "You came third, but still least it wasn't fourth like uncle 'Cade or fifth like Ironhide, even better yet not finishin' like the twins." The little grey mechlet giggled "can't believe ole 'Hide farted on them that was really funny, they're never gonna live that one down but they did deserve it coz they were boastin' that they were gonna win ..."

"Blue." Jazz rumbled "give ya father five minutes to orientate himself."

"Okay." Bluestreak replied as he clambered off his sire's lap giving Prowl the opportunity to get to his feet. Although the saboteur couldn't help but chuckle as the tactician swayed unsteadily on his feet and noticed that the black and white's door wings refused to stop twitching, he knew immediately that his bond-mate's systems were still running on high and understood that they would have to get rid of the rush somehow or Prowl would remain restless for the rest of the evening and long into the early hours of the morning.

"Did you have fun watching the race?" The tactician inquired as he lifted the youngling up and set him on his left hip whilst ignoring the restlessness that was beginning to niggle at his systems.

"I did, I even told Mr Galloway off too coz I thought he was gonna start ruining everyone's fun but he's gone now, but I bet poor Optimus is gonna hear from him about this." The little grey mechlet replied before he glanced over his father's left shoulder when he saw a flash of black and white "uncle 'Cade!" He wriggled to get down once again and once he was on the tarmac, he rushed over to greet Barricade.

"Hey squirt." The shock trooper said as he placed a clawed hand upon the Bluestreak's right shoulder when the youngling wrapped his arms around the Mustang's right leg. The little grey mechlet looked up, baby blue optics meeting crimson ones, what happened next took all three mechs by surprise, the little grey mechlet lightly punched Barricade "what was that for?"

"Being naughty and hurtin' father." Bluestreak said as he scowled up at the shock trooper who couldn't help but look surprised, but it quickly turned into a glare when he heard his brother and Jazz start chuckling.

"Zip it Prowl, you weren't completely innocent either." The Mustang growled.

"Yea." The youngling said as he made his way over and lightly slapped one of his sire's clawed hands "that's for bein' mean to uncle 'Cade."

"Love he's becomin' more like ya every day." The saboteur laughed when he saw the rather indignant look upon his mate's facial plates "anyway we should join th' others, c'mon."

"First do something about him." Barricade told Jazz as he made his way over to them, he pointed in the direction of his twitching sibling whilst ignoring the many twinges of pain in his frame from the dents and scrapes he had accumulated.

The saboteur glanced at the jittery tactician and smirked, he knew this was the very reason why Prowl hated racing as it left his systems running on high and working overtime "With pleasure." The Solstice sauntered over to his mate and clasped one of his hands, the silver mech threw the shock trooper a salute before dragging his mate away from the crowd.

"Uncle 'Cade where's dad takin' father?" Bluestreak inquired as he glanced up at the Mustang.

"They … need to have a chat." Barricade replied as he placed a mental block in place to shield both him and the youngling for what he knew was coming.

"Why?" The little grey mechlet asked with a confused look upon his facial plates.

"Because they do." The shock trooper responded as he glanced down at Bluestreak who was scrutinising him closely before his little sensory panels droop.

"They're not gonna argue are they?" The youngling asked.

"No they're not." _Far from it_, he wanted to add but knew that would only encourage the little grey mechlet to keep asking questions "anyway let's go and humiliate Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, then maybe we can get Ironhide to take you for a drive around the race course."

"Okay." The youngling said as he took the offered hand and followed the Mustang across to the where the others were assembled, surprisingly enough the weapons specialist greeted them and clapped Barricade on the back for the manoeuvre he and his brother had pulled on the red Lamborghini, then the risky manoeuvre he had pulled upon the gold twin. The shock trooper simply gave him a dip of his helm in acknowledgement of the praise as the GMC Top kick truck plucked Bluestreak off the ground and settled him on his broad shoulders. The Mustang couldn't help but smile as he watched Ironhide and Bluestreak began taunting Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, the former was happily taking it in his stride whilst the other simply ignred them. Barricade chuckled, it was just another day of madness at the Autobot base.

**A/N: **Not one of my best but its another one down. Next one up: Of Younglings and Sparklings.

Read & Review!


	16. Of Younglings and Sparklings

**Title:** Of Younglings and Sparklings

**Rating: **T

**Universe:** Movie 07/09 verse (AU)

**Characters: **Youngling Bluestreak, Prowl, Jazz, Mirage, Hound, OC sparkling, and an ensemble of others

**Pairings: **ProwlxJazz, HoundxMirage

**Warnings: **complete and utter fluff, slight use of profanities, humour, slight slash, mentions of events that have occurred in Renascentia

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition, nor do I own any cartoons/or characters* mentioned in this fic

**Summary:** Bluestreak discovers the quirks of becoming an older brother

**A/N:** A concept that appears in this fic belongs to Mirage Shinkiro and has been used with her permission. I won't tell you what it is, after all I don't want to ruin the surprise ;) This one shot was also requested by Bumblebee's girl, so I hope you enjoy hun! :)

_{blah} – Bond communication_

Jazz on-lined slowly and opened his un-shuttered his optics, he found himself gazing into the lax and contented facial plates of his mate. He felt someone shift against him and he glanced down to see Bluestreak nestled against him, deep in recharge, so it hadn't been the youngling who had roused him from his sleep. The saboteur shifted his gaze to the tactician sighed softly, he watched as his mate placed a clawed white hand upon his chest plates and subsequently the spark chamber that only housed his own life force, but that of the developing sparklet of their second child who Bluestreak was adamant was going to be a mech. The Solstice couldn't help but chuckle at that, he had tried to explain to his creation that here was a fifty percent chance that it could be either, however the little grey

mechlet told him that he wanted a brother.

Which left it open to debate about the one he was also carrying. The silver mech easily recalled the moment when they had discovered that he was carrying again, they had been ecstatic but Jazz had felt the disappointment radiating from his spark-mate. He knew Prowl wanted to share in the responsibility of carrying any sparklings they created, however just before Ratchet could scan him since it was mandatory to check both bond-mates, the tactician fainted. The saboteur had been concerned at first over his mate's condition until he heard the CMO utter something about 'divine retribution', the Solstice had been confused at first until the medic showed him a scan of Prowl's spark chamber, that indicated that the black and white was also carrying. Jazz certainly remembered fainting in shock at the news, after all twins were a rarity on Cybertron especially more so when both creators where carrying one of the set. Ratchet had been ecstatic about the rare condition, but he was more intrigued by the fact that neither of the 'pregnancy's' were being influenced in the same way as Jazz's first gestation cycle was, although it was still early to tell if either of them were going to follow the same route. Telling Bluestreak had been a chore in itself as the youngling wouldn't stop chatting excitedly about his new brother or sister, but they succeeded in telling him that it was going to be twins instead of one single sparkling. The youngling had been unsure about that at first, but he soon warmed up to the idea that he was going to be a big brother to two siblings rather than one, although he knew without a doubt that he was going to be a 'victim' of many pranks to come.

The saboteur was drawn out of his thoughts when he felt Bluestreak move restlessly against him again. Normally the youngling would recharge in his own room, but every now and again the Solstice would spoil his first born and allow him to recharge in their berth. He watched as the little grey mechlet altered his position so his helm was now resting upon the warm black armour of Prowl's left hip with his arms pillowed beneath his head. Jazz couldn't help but smile at his creation, Bluestreak was intuitive, a quick learner and incredibly friendly to everyone, he had also grown into a very vocal and hyperactive youngling that kept both him and Prowl on their toes. Particularly more so now that the little grey mechlet had been joined by another sparkling six months ago. Mirage and Hound had attempted for a sparkling as they had planned and conceived Illusion as a result, the mechling was a perfect blend of the spy and the tracking specialist. And just recently the little green and white sparkling had found the ability to stand whilst holding onto objects, but he was happy with just crawling at the moment. Illusion was also completely fascinated by Bluestreak and would crawl after him wherever the youngling would go, in fact Prowl and Jazz had been surprised by just how tolerant their creation was with the sparkling, especially when the infant had made a grab for one of Bluestreak's sensory panels ad had given it a playful tug. Now the little grey mechlet would have to contend with two other sparklings once they finally arrived in the world.

Speaking of which the saboteur transferred his gaze to his mate only to see white clawed fingers curl and clench against armoured chest plates, he knew that this 'pregnancy' had hit his mate hard and although Jazz was hardly in a bed of roses himself, he at least knew what to expect. Although the purging and the restlessness were completely new to him this time round, not too mention the hot and cold flushes that put him at odds with Prowl, it seemed every time that the saboteur was feeling hot, the tactician would be the complete opposite and vice versa which would cause unnecessary and unneeded tension between them. His bonded was experiencing everything he had and more so; purging, restlessness, mood swings (which were enough to keep the twins in line, and the other Autobots out of the firing line), and the plethora of aches and pains that the Solstice remembered all too well. The Dodge Charger was even experiencing the cravings he had when he was carrying Bluestreak, and as much as Jazz wanted to try and keep the stash of energon goodies, it was near impossible with one bond-mate and a youngling (who saw the opportunity and took it) ganging up on him. The silver mech was drawn out of his thoughts again when Bluestreak moved except this time he stirred from his recharge, he glanced up at spark carrier sleepily.

"Go back to sleep lil Blue." Jazz rumbled as he smoothed one of his hands over the youngling's helm.

"Can't." The little grey mechlet replied as he rubbed his optics and yawned.

"That makes two of us Blue, c'mon let's leave ya father ta sleep." The saboteur suggested, Bluestreak nodded and clambered off the berth and followed his daddy out of the room. The Solstice brought the lights up to half way as he didn't feel like contending with bright lights yet, the youngling trotted over to the large couch and clambered up onto it, he spotted the data-slate he had left there the previous night and reached across for it. The little grey mechlet picked it up and set it on his lap and turned it on, the cartoon upon the screen had been paused, but Bluestreak had no interest in watching it so he accessed the menu and flicked through the listings. He found a copy of Looney Tunes* and put it on, the youngling sat back in his usual corner making sure his sensory panels were flat against his back as he did so.

Jazz made his way over after preparing their morning energon, he handed his creation his mug before he sat down. Bluestreak moved from his corner position and made his way over to his spark carrier, the saboteur temporarily took hold of his creation's mug of energon as the youngling plonked himself in his lap, then he gave it back to him once he was settled. The little grey mechlet placed his chevroned helm upon his daddy's chest listening to the double spark pulse beneath the plates whilst he watched his cartoons. The pair of them watched the comical antics of Road Runner* and Wile Coyote* before they became aware of Prowl's presence, Jazz glanced over the top of the couch and gave his tired mate a smile.

"Mornin' love." He called "ya energon's on th' counter."

The tactician nodded gratefully to his bonded before making his way over to the counter against the left wall. It had been installed not long back so they could make and prepare different energon confections now that more minerals had become available. The Dodge Charger picked up his mug and the small plastic tub of energon goodies sat up on one of the shelves above the counter, he carried them over to the couch and sank into the soft padding the moment he was sat down, taking little notice of his door wings being flattened against his back. Bluestreak immediately turned his attention from the data-slate to his sire when he heard the rattle of energon goodies, the youngling then moved so he was sat facing his spark carrier before giving his father the kicked turbo-puppy look. Jazz couldn't help but chuckle at the absolutely adorable and cute expression upon his creation's facial plates.

"You're mastering that expression a little too well Blue." The black and white mech told his son as he pried the lid off the tub and handed a treat to Bluestreak.

"Thank you." The youngling responded as he took it from his father and began happily munching on it.

"Oh Mirage and Hound are gonna love you." The saboteur said as he also took a goodie from his spark-mate. Despite the fact that the other bonded couple now had their own child, they had volunteered to take Bluestreak with them for the day as they were heading down to the day care centre. Their original plans had involved heading out to the cove and the stretch of palm trees; one of the youngling's favourite spots upon the military island, but the weather had turned against them so they had no choice but to remain inside today.

"It's only two energon sweets." Prowl told his mate with a smirk. The Solstice narrowed his optics at those words and with lightning fast reflexes he was known for, he stole the second goodie before it could make it to his son's hands and stuffed it into his mouth.

Bluestreak gaped at his spark carrier "Bad daddy."

The silver mech removed a bit of the treat from his mouth and offered it to his creation "You can have it if ya want?"

The youngling made a face of disgust "Eww gross." Jazz chuckled as he popped the rest of the goodie back into his mouth whist ignoring the look of disapproval from his bonded.

"Evil mech stealing from your son." The tactician said as he gave the little grey mechlet another treat, Bluestreak made sure that the goodies was well out of his carrier's reach as he began nibbling upon it.

"Well I remember a certain bot deprivin' me of goodies once." The saboteur replied as he gave his mate a sideways look whilst a small smile appeared upon his lip components. The Dodge Charger chuckled but it was soon cut off when a gasp escaped his vocaliser, both the Solstice and the youngling glanced at Prowl in concern.

"Prowl?" Jazz inquired with worry laced in the tone of his voice. He was a second way from calling Ratchet particularly more so when he saw his mate rest a white clawed hand upon his chest plates.

A small smile appeared upon the tactician's lip components "Seems someone is being a little active this morning." The black and white mech met his mate's worried gaze "but I will have Ratchet check the two of us over just to make sure everything is alright."

The saboteur nodded, he couldn't help but feel anxious for his mate especially since he had been close once to the brink of losing Bluestreak when he had been carrying him, it had been through luck that day that the sparkling had survived. It was also strange that he was only experiencing light flutters compared to the boisterous bouncing his mate was contending with, but he figured that the twins were simply telling them exactly what their personalities were going to be like. The Solstice grinned inwardly at that, it seemed it was his spark-mate's turn to have his thoughts 'invaded' by a talkative sparklet since he could remember all too well what it was like when he had carried Bluestreak. He almost missed it in fact as this one was quiet and only occasionally brushed against his consciousness, a clear indicator that it was going to be very much like Prowl or Primus forbid like Barricade in nature since the mech could be quiet and reserved when he wanted to be. The silver mech was drawn out of his thoughts when he felt Bluestreak move and watched as the youngling shifted from his lap to Prowl's, the little grey mechlet then reached out with one hand and let it rest upon his father's chest plates. Jazz let a small laugh escape him when he saw a look of bewilderment and intrigue upon his son's facial plates.

"Wow." Bluestreak uttered as he felt out the tiny vibrations "how come yours doesn't do that dad?"

"Because mine lil Blue, is gonna be the quieter one outta th' two." The saboteur told him with a smile "anyway we better get ya ready fer Hound an' Mirage." He lightly poked the youngling in the side prompting a giggle to escape the little grey mechlet. Bluestreak moved out of range so he couldn't be tickled any further and clambered off his father's lap, he waited for both of his parents to stand and glanced between the pair of them, wondering who was going to take him to the rec. room. Without a doubt he knew it was likely that his spark carrier would take him whilst his sire reported for duty, although Bluestreak knew his daddy would have his father go and see the old hatchet first just to make sure everything was alright.

"C'mon then bitlet." Jazz said. The youngling wrapped himself around his sire's right leg in a hug, he heard his father chuckle before he was picked up in order to share a proper hug.

"See you later father." The little grey mechlet told him.

"See you later Blue." The tactician responded as he clutched his son close before setting him on the floor.

The saboteur placed a quick kiss upon his mate's right cheek before he left their quarters with Bluestreak in tow. The youngling immediately began chatting excitedly about any and everything as he skipped alongside his carrier as they made their way down to the recreation room, the Solstice let a small laugh escape him at his son's enthusiastic behaviour, although he couldn't help but wonder if it was being influenced in some way by the two energon goodies the mechlet had consumed. The pair of them entered the rec. room and instantly spotted Illusion edging his way round the small table in front of the large couch with Hound hovering close by, almost immediately the sparkling spotted Bluestreak and squealed in delight at seeing him. In his haste, the infant left go of the table, swayed and plopped onto his little backside, however it didn't seem to faze him as the little green and white sparkling crawled over to the youngling. The little grey mechlet bounced into a crouch not too far from the infant with the word 'boo' leaving his vocaliser which suddenly had Illusion giggling, he did the same a few more times which had the sparkling collapsing back onto his aft in a fit of almost hysterical laughter.

"Okay what have you given him this morning?" Mirage inquired as he moved to stand beside his team leader.

"Don't look at me mech, I had nothin' ta do with it, Prowler's th' one who gave him energon goodies this mornin'." Jazz replied.

"Remind me to thank him later." Hound said sarcastically, although there was a smile upon his lip components.

"Count yerself lucky it were only two an' not four or five." The saboteur said "Blue give Illusion a breather or he's gonna purge."

"Okay." Bluestreak responded as he sat down on his aft waiting for the sparkling's giggles to subside. Illusion squealed and clapped his diminutive hands together before he got onto his hands and knees, and crawled the metre or so to the youngling. The little green and white sparkling immediately began using parts of Bluestreak's anatomy to pull himself up with whilst making loud clicking and chirping noises, the rudimentary sounds only became much more enthusiastic when the youngling began communicating in the same way.

"Amazes me how tolerant and patient Bluestreak can be." The tracking specialist said as he watched his creation edge around the little grey mechlet, and grasped one of the sensory panels which were waving back and forth lazily. Jazz decided not to step in just yet as he watched his son carefully dislodge the infant's grip on his sensory panel and guide him back round to the front. The saboteur felt his spark swell with pride at seeing how attentive his creation was being with Illusion, he just hoped that Bluestreak showed that much interest when his own siblings made their appearance in the world.

"Well mechs I'm gonna have ta shoot off, but I'll be back ta pick Blue up at th' usual time." The Solstice told his two team-mates, the pair of them nodded in acknowledgement before the silver mech made his way over to where his youngling was sat with the little white and green sparkling. Jazz leant over and placed a kiss on top of his creation's helm only to be playfully swatted away.

"Dad." The little grey mechlet whined.

"See ya later kiddo." The saboteur told him before he glanced at Illusion who was looking at him with big baby blue optics, he smiled at the infant "bye, bye Illusion." The sparkling squealed in response before turning his attention back to Bluestreak, the Solstice couldn't help his smile widening at the sight as he straightened the headed out of the rec. room.

Hound and Mirage watched their superior leave the room before turning their attention back to their creation and the youngling. The little grey mechlet had pushed himself onto his feet and was slowly leading Illusion around the furniture by gently grasping his hands, their pair of them couldn't help but chuckle at hearing the little green and white infant happily clicking and chirping to himself whilst Bluestreak was giggling.

_{I think he's going to make a good older brother.}_ The tracking specialist said as he hitched a hip up onto the arm of the couch.

_{As do I.}_ The Ford GT responded as he allowed a small smile to tug at the corners of his lip components_ {anyway I thought we had plans to head down to the care centre today?}_

Hound smiled at his bonded _{We are.}_ The Jeep Wrangler pulled himself upright before glancing across to where he could hear the giggling "Blue bring Illu back this way." The green mech ignored the look of disapproval from his bonded at the butchering of their creation's designation.

"Okay." The youngling responded as he directed Illusion back to his creators, although the sparkling was none too happy about being picked up and vocalised his protests through loud twittering. But they quickly dissolved into clicks and warbles when Mirage began bouncing him on his arms. Hound knelt down and gestured for the little grey mechlet to take his hands, Bluestreak took them and stepped his way up the tracking specialist's back until he was stood upon his shoulders, then with some careful manoeuvring he sat down. The Jeep Wrangler waited for the youngling to settle himself upon his shoulders before he stood up fully. The bonded pair then headed out of the rec. room and through the base and down to the new day care centre that had been recently built. At first it wasn't required, after all there was only one child upon the base before Illusion arrived in the world, however with there soon to be flour once the twins were born, the plans had been pushed forward, although Director Galloway certainly had a lot to say about having children on a military base. Besides the room, which catered to the sparkling and the youngling, kept them out of harm's way and more so particularly rowdy individuals such as the twins.

Finally Mirage and Hound arrived at the day care centre and entered the code to give them access, the doors whooshed open and the lights came on. The room wasn't large by any standards but it was big enough for one youngling to run off the seemingly endless energy he had, it also contained a myriad of toys some of which had been donated by the humans, so there was plenty to do. Bluestreak immediately wanted down and the moment he was set upon the floor, he rushed across to the trampoline. Naturally wherever the youngling went, Illusion wanted to go as well, so the Ford GT set his son upon the same piece of apparatus the little grey mechlet was bouncing upon. Bluestreak never complained not even once about having his fun interrupted and toned down his bounces the moment the sparkling's backside touched the material. The youngling even began one of the few role playing games he normally played with his daddy and his father, and even on the occasion with his uncle, he pretended that he was Optimus and showed off a few of his 'fighting' skills until he was 'taken down' by the 'mean old bucket head' aka Megatron. He stumbled backwards as if shot and collapsed dramatically onto the trampoline whilst making sure not to damage his sensory panels in the fall. Illusion immediately began warbling worriedly and crawled over to the little grey mechlet, he plopped on his aft before extending an arm and poking Bluestreak in the side. The youngling twitched then sat up suddenly with a loud 'bwargh' leaving his vocaliser, the little green and white infant instantly began laughing hysterically and rolled over onto his back. The little grey mechlet couldn't help but laugh with him, however he quickly reined in his giggling and pushed himself up onto his feet. However he didn't resume his bouncing but instead clambered off the trampoline and headed over to where the Lego bricks were stored in a crate whilst Illusion settled in Mirage's arms for his mid morning nap.

The rest of the morning saw Bluestreak trying to build a large tower out of the Lego bricks, of course once he could no longer reach the top he recruited Hound's assistance so he could add to it. The youngling had proclaimed that he wanted it bigger than Optimus, but that was unlikely to happen even with him standing upon the tracking specialist's shoulders. Once the tower had successfully been built, although it still wasn't anywhere as tall as Optimus, the little grey mechlet had asked the Jeep Wrangler to play a little role playing game with him. Hound had told Bluestreak that Mirage would make a much sneakier Decepticon than him, but obliged the youngling anyway. The game revolved around the jungle gym which served as 'Autobot headquarters' which was 'under siege' by the evil Decepticon forces. Bluestreak did much of the story telling as he acted out his parts flawlessly as commander of the 'base' before Hound made his dramatic entrance, the youngling acted accordingly and took refuge upon the section that housed the slide. The little grey mechlet poked his head out through the hole and scanned his surroundings, he immediately spotted the 'enemy' and crawled out of the hole, slid down the slide upon his feet and took the 'Decepticon' by surprise.

"Gah!" Hound cried as he stumbled then dramatically collapsed to the mats, Bluestreak crowed his victory but it was short lived when he felt something poke him in his back "think you could beat me Autobot?"

"Dirty evil 'con." The youngling hissed as he turned to face his real 'attacker' "I won't let you take this base from me."

"Oh really?" The tracking specialist asked. He knew he had cheated by using his holo technology to take the little grey mechlet by surprise, but he figured it would only make the game much more interesting.

"Really." Came a response just off to the side of him, Bluestreak began giggling as Mirage shimmered into view next to the Jeep Wrangler who smirked at his bonded. The youngling quickly tried to smoother his giggles with a straight face, however he couldn't help the slight smile tugging at his lip components "what should we do with him sir?"

"Stick him in the brig." The youngling responded as seriously as he could. The 'brig' consisted of the mats under the bridge, and Hound was told to serve a total of fifteen minutes under there whilst Mirage and Bluestreak decided upon his 'fate'. However they didn't get to decide upon his fate as Illusion choose that moment to demand his lunch time feed, Mirage immediately made his way over to his whimpering offspring whilst the youngling released the tracking specialist from his 'prison', then the little grey mechlet quickly made his way over to the couches and clambered up onto one of them. Bluestreak waited patiently for his own energon, although he didn't have to wait long before he was handed his ration and he began sipping it, in-between chatting to the two older mechs about how he wanted brothers. Mirage reminded the youngling that he could have sisters much to the little grey mechlet's protect, Bluestreak had shown disdain at that since he knew that if both of his parents had a femme each, he wouldn't be able to rough house with them. Hound explained to the youngling that not all femmes were delicate, after all Elita One, Chromia, Arcee and a few others who had survived the extermination of their kind, were prime examples that a femme could be just as tough as a mech. The little grey mechlet had to agree with him on that since he had seen the way Arcee had put her male comrades in their place, heck even Mikaela knew how to keep the human and Cybertronian males in line.

Bluestreak finished his energon and slipped down from the couch after a few moments to let the pink fluid to settle in his fuel tank, then he trotted over to the large table which had been strained by poster paint. The youngling fished out a few sheets of A2 and A3 pieces of paper and set them on the table, then he reached into a small trunk and pulled out a myriad of paint, crayons, chalks and colouring pencils and placed them on the tables as well. The little grey mechlet then sat down upon the assortment of cushions and began drawing upon a sheet of A2 paper, he was joined much later by Illusion who had crawled over and plonked himself quite happily next to Bluestreak. However the little green and white sparkling's interest was in the poster paint which ended up mostly upon the youngling's plating, particularly more so after the infant grew tired of 'painting' upon the paper. The little grey mechlet watched Illusion carefully as they handled the paints as he had already stopped the sparkling a few times from sticking his paint drenched fingers into his mouth. Mirage and Hound had already sneakily removed all of the colouring pencils and crayons leaving just the thick chalk sticks, but even then their son proceeded to chew upon them and ending up with multi-coloured dust around his mouth plates. Luckily enough Illusion dropped off into recharge during the middle of the afternoon allowing Bluestreak a couple of hours to himself to finish drawing his pictures, then he made his way over to his tower and began disassembling it. He sat down upon the mats with the scattered Lego pieces around him and began making Lego bots, although he had to improvise when it came to some of the Autobots he was recreating.

The afternoon drifted into early evening and Bluestreak had successfully managed to tucker himself out, he had been running around after Illusion in order to tire out the infant since the bitlet's creators had very little success in doing so. It didn't take long for the sparkling to tire and curl up ready for recharge upon the mats near the jungle gym, Hound had then whisked him away to settle him down for the night leaving Mirage and Bluestreak to tidy the room.

"Wow bein' an older brother is hard." The youngling said as he stuffed several stuffed toys back into their respective trunk.

"Wait until your siblings arrive." The Ford GT responded as he rolled up the pieces of artwork on the table whilst being mindful of the ones that were still wet, he sub-spaced the ones his creation had decorated before placing the ones Bluestreak had done upon the couch.

"Yea, 'Lu is just one sparklin', I'm gonna have twins as my siblin's and if they're gonna be anything like Sunny an' Sides then there's gonna be lots of trouble making an' I don't know if I'm gonna be a good older brother or not to stop them when they're being naughty." The youngling told him, his little sensory panels drooping.

The white and blue mech gently gripped one of the little grey mechlet's shoulders and offered him a reassuring smile "You'll do fine, both Hound and I think you'll be a good bog brother."

"You think so?" Bluestreak asked, his back appendages rising and fluttering lightly.

"We do." Mirage replied "anyway we need to finish tidying up before your carrier comes to get you."

"Jazz won't be down to get lil Blue." Came Sunstreaker's voice as the gold Lamborghini entered the room.

"Why? Where's dad?" The youngling asked as he glanced up at his tall guardian.

"Off the base and so is your father." Sunstreaker told him, although the Ford GT could tell by the minuscule shifts in the gold Lamborghini's body language that an incident had transpired for the pair of them to be off the base, particularly more so since they field activities had been suspended whilst they were both carrying.

"Oh." The little grey mechlet responded as he glanced down at his feet, his little sensory panels drooping once again.

"So you're gonna be stayin' with me and that half wit brother of mine until they get back." The front-liner told Bluestreak.

The youngling giggled at the good natured insult "Naughty Sunny that's not nice."

A rare chuckle escaped Sunstreaker "Come on let's finish tidying up then we've got a film to watch."

"Cool!" The little grey mechlet whooped before rushing off since he knew that getting to watch a movie meant that he wouldn't have to go into recharge around his allotted time.

"Where are Blue's parents?" Mirage asked in a low voice as he crouched to gather a few stray pieces of Lego.

"Nevada desert last I heard." The gold Lamborghini replied as he straightened out a corner of a cushion, he glanced at the spy to see a curious look upon his comrade's facial plates "that stupid fragger Barricade said something when he shouldn't have and with Prowl the way he is at the moment, flipped out completely and told him to run before he lodged an acid pellet in his cranium."

"Not good." The Ford GT said as he glanced over to where Bluestreak was. They had all seen the past few months the emotional state their second in command could work himself into, and one wrong thing said or done could draw out a violent reaction from the tactician. Surprisingly enough Jazz was the much calmer of the pair despite how bad his mood swings got when he had been carrying Bluestreak "dare I ask how they ended up in the Nevada desert?"

"That was Ironhide's fault, the old fragger activated the transwarp gate and threw the pair of them through, he told them to work out their differences where the rest of us weren't in harm's way." The front-liner replied "course Ratchet's chewing him out right now whilst Optimus and Jazz are off the base chasing down the two glitches."

The blue and white spy vented a sigh out through his intakes "I just hope they stop Prowl before he does anything irrational or puts his sparkling at risk."

"Personally I hope he slags Barricade for good measure." Sunstreaker said whilst ignoring the look of disapproval from Mirage.

"I'm done now." The youngling announced as he trotted over and stood in front of his guardian.

"Come on then." The gold Lamborghini said as he turned to leave. The little grey mechlet however rushed across to the Ford GT and wrapped himself around one of the spy's legs in a hug, Mirage detached him and crouched down to give him a proper cuddle

"Thanks 'Raj for having me and can you tell 'Lu good night for me?" Bluestreak uttered.

"I will little one, and we enjoy having you." The blue and white Ford GT told the youngling as he released him, the little grey mechlet grinned then rushed across to where Sunstreaker was patiently wait for him "night Blue."

"Night 'Raj!" The youngling called back before disappearing from the room.

The spy let a small smile tug at the corners of his lip components as he stood and moved to leave the room, it had been a long and interesting day to say the least. And Bluestreak had certainly proved one thing; he was going to be a good and responsible older brother, not too mention role model to his siblings if today was anything to go by.

**A/N: **Another one down, next one up: Of Younglings and Humans, although I'm gonna focus upon Renascentia's next chapter first, depending upon how my muse behaves. And I'm also giving you the chance to tell what you want the twins to be as I haven't yet quite decided.

Read & Review! :)


	17. Of Younglings and Humans

**Title:** Of Younglings and Humans

**Rating:** K+

**Universe:** Movie 07/09 verse (AU)

**Characters: **Youngling Bluestreak, Prowl, Jazz, human Ocs and an ensemble of others

**Pairings: **ProwlxJazz

**Warnings:** fluff

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition

**Summary:** Bluestreak takes the first step to close the divide between Cybertronians and the humans

A request for **thephoenixqueen**, so I hope you enjoy hun! Bluestreak is between the ages six and seven in this fic, so its set before all the sparkling business.

For the past six nearly seven years of his life, the only humans Bluestreak had encountered were those back at Diego Garcia base. The youngling had spent each day interacting with the military personnel, learning about the different jobs they did (in the simplest form possible), not too mention as much as he could about the different cultures, animal, insect and plant life that existed upon the very same planet that he had been born upon. So it was a very rare occurrence that he got to interact with children near enough his own age, except when he was given the chance to visit Annabelle Lennox who was actually a few years older than him. Bluestreak always enjoyed visiting her as it got him away from the monotony of the military base, that and there were a few acres of land for him to create unprecedented chaos upon instead of restricted areas. However Annabelle was only one child and now there were several others running around the small farmhouse, shouting and laughing as they chased one another, each of them capable of taking a liking or a disliking to him, although he was clearly more afraid of the latter. The sole reason they were at the Lennox's property was for a bit of downtime away from the Diego Garcia, that and it had been a long time since the service men and women had spent time with their families. Initially no plan had been made for a get together until Sergeant Epps had opened his mouth and suggested to have a small party at Will's house, after all the property was large enough for children to run around on, and it was far away enough from civilisation so the Autobots who also wanted to get away could go and relax without fear of being seen in their bipedal modes. Although the civilians husbands, wives and children would see them, but then again the Autobots were hardly strangers to the families of the NEST personnel, Sideswipe had seen to that by accident a couple of years ago.

Of course once Bluestreak had found out about the plan, he had pleaded with his carrier and his sire to clear their duty schedules so they too could take the trip. Immediately Prowl had to tell his creation that he couldn't go as he had to accompany Optimus on a trip, but the tactician told him that if the team were able to get away early, they would join them later in the evening. Lucky enough the little one's carrier was much more flexible as Jazz had only scheduled inventory checks on special operations equipment and a couple of training sessions, both of which he happily rescheduled in favour of his son. However now that the youngling was here, he refused under any circumstances to leave the shadow of his spark carrier no matter how many times one of the other children approached him and his daddy, or when his carrier or the soldiers he considered near enough family tried to coax him away so he could mingle with the other kids. But in the end they decided to leave the little grey mechlet alone, knowing that he would venture out on his own eventually, although Jazz suspected that wasn't likely going to happen whilst Bluestreak had his and the other Autobots company. But the saboteur knew that his son would gather his confidence and leave his side in order to play with the human younglings before the day was out.

"You know ya can go an' join in wit' their games, they're not gonna bite." Jazz told Bluestreak as he glanced down at the youngling firmly attached to his right leg before his gaze fell upon Annabelle and the others playing tag. Bluestreak's sensory panels twitched upon his back as he made no move to leave his daddy's side, in fact the moment his baby blue optics settled upon Annabelle as the young girl made her way over, the youngling shrunk back further behind his carrier, his bout of uncharacteristic shyness taking on a whole new level.

Annabelle Lennox trotted over to the Autobot's 3IC and glanced up "Mr Jazz is it alright for Bluestreak to come play with us?" The ten year old asked.

The saboteur glanced down at Bluestreak before he turned his azure gaze to the young girl "You'll have ta ask him yaself Annie."

Annabelle glanced from the silver mech to the much smaller one barely hidden from view, his baby blue optics meeting her brown eyes "Blue the others and me are gonna play a game of hide and seek, wanna play?"

The youngling glanced up at his spark carrier to see his daddy gesture to go and have some fun, the little grey mechlet then reluctantly let go of silver calf armour he had been holding onto and stepped toward the Lennox girl, Annabelle grinned at him as he took his hand before leading him over to where the other children were currently playing.

"Looks like lil Blue finally decided to detach himself from you." Will said as he made his way over to where the saboteur was stood.

Jazz chuckled "Yea finally bless his spark, usually lil Blue's not shy around anyone especially you guys but I guess its because ya his family."

The Major smiled at that "I can understand his nervousness though, kids can be pretty scary sometimes."

"Hmm." The saboteur hummed as he watched the human children take off and run toward the open barn. His gaze settled upon the little grey form stood beneath the large tree next to the house, he happened to notice that his son had one arm resting across his optics and from the barely discernible numbers leaving Bluestreak's vocaliser, the Solstice guessed he was counting to a specific number before he went in search of the others. The silver mech flipped down his visor and switched to infra-red vision whilst ignoring the sudden look of curiosity appearing upon Will's face, he scanned the surroundings and easily discerned where the other children were hiding. Some were hidden inside the barn whilst others around the back of it behind anything they could find whilst others had disappeared into the long grass not far from the back of the barn. A constant checkout by the Autobots ensured that the children in particular couldn't be harmed by a snake or anything else that could cause them harm, and as Jazz scanned the tall grass he found no other forms of life except for some insects that were more a pest than harmful.

"Ready or not here I come!" The saboteur heard Bluestreak shout before the youngling pulled away from the tree and began making his way towards the barn first, the Major immediately glared up at the Solstice believing that the silver mech was sending clues to the little grey mechlet over their bond. But Jazz quickly pointed out that the youngling's back appendages were constantly twitching back and forth as Bluestreak began using the sensors in the delicate sensory panels, a feat. Prowl had been teaching their creation the past few weeks. He had to admit the youngling had learned the exercise quickly and was putting it to good use as he moved to the first child hiding just inside the barn.

Bluestreak finished counting to a hundred before he lowered his arm and glanced around, his little sensory panels flickered back and forth as he began using the little technique his father had been teaching him. He began heading toward the barn although he was quickly alerted to a noise not far from him, he glanced over to where he had heard it in time to see one of the children trying to sneak toward the tree and tag it so they weren't 'it' for the next round. He decided to keep going whilst keeping a close optic on the other child, then just when the dark haired boy thought he was in the clear he began running for it, however Bluestreak quickly doubled back and tagged him just before he could make it to the tree. The youngling giggled as the young lad dropped dramatically to the dusty ground before he went off in search of his next target, the little grey mechlet found each of them with well executed precision, although he had some help from his carrier much to Will's chargin that he was making it too easy for him.

It wasn't long before there were several tagged 'it' children sat beneath the cool shade of the tree, well all except one and the Major cautioned Jazz not to reveal the location of Annabelle since it would take away the fun of finding her. So Bluestreak was on his own as he looked for the ten year old girl, the youngling searched high and low and even recruited the other kids to help him look for the missing Lennox girl. Then just when the little grey mechlet was about to give him, his little sensory panels detected a subtle shift in the air next to him. They continued to twitch upon his back much to his annoyance until finally the scenery shifted not far from him and Annabelle ran out from her 'hiding spot', giggles leaving her as she rushed toward the 'safety' of the tree. Bluestreak however was far more interested in the mech who had been hiding the Lennox girl than Annabelle herself, the youngling twittered in irritation at a chuckling Mirage before he trotted over to where the other children had congregated.

The group of them continued to play many games long into the afternoon whilst under the watchful eyes and optics of the adults and the Autobots, running off the excess energy they seemed to have in no short supply. The human kids paid no heed to the fact that their new found friend was a robotic life form, but instead considered him to be one of them although they quickly understood that Bluestreak's sensitive back appendages that one girl likened to angel wings, were a no go zone whilst they were playing tag. The youngling even sat with his new friends during dinner time, chatting about their favourite cartoons and characters or the newest games and toys their parents had brought them. Although they quickly move on to ask Bluestreak about what it was like living on a military base, before asking whether he had any funny stories to tell. The youngling happily recited some of the best pranks he remembered being pulled by his two guardians Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, particularly the one he recalled when his father ended up bright pink and Optimus a sickly neon green colour. A young boy named Jack who was probably the most inquisitive of the small group of children dared to ask about the Decepticons and what they were like, Bluestreak was a little unsure at first since he found them incredibly scary but once he felt the comfort and reassurance coming from his carrier, he launched into the tale of when he had taken out Frenzy, Ravage, Sideways and Skywarp on his own. Of course Jack and another boy Daniel had looked at their new friends sceptically and had to ask Jazz for confirmation, but they quickly returned to the group enthusiastic to learn and hear more of what the Cybertronian youngling had to offer.

The Autobot's 3IC watched as his son kept the human children preoccupied with his dramatic storytelling and was somewhat surprised when some of the children got up and asked to take part. Jazz couldn't help the wide grin overtake his facial plates as his creation explained to the boys and sometimes girls of who they were in the story before playing out the scene. The saboteur also couldn't help the pride he was feeling swell in his spark at seeing Bluestreak with the human younglings, he had been concerned at his youngling's show of uncharacteristic shyness towards them earlier, after all he had brought his son out here so he could socialise with others his age, not remain attached to his leg or any other part of his frame. The Solstice understood how difficult it could be for a youngling of Bluestreak's age to make new friends as he remembered his own childhood years and the difficulties he had in trying to find younglings that he could easily associate with. After all he hadn't always been the loud and exuberant mech the others would have believed him to have been, no that had happened much later once he had entered the academy back on Cybertron.

Jazz chuckled as he watched Bluestreak and Annabelle lead an 'attack' on Ironhide who had happily been recharging in the late afternoon/early evening sun when he was pounced on, the weapons specialist gave an undignified squawk of surprise before he carefully manoeuvred himself out from under his 'attackers' and ran off with the group of children trailing close behind him.

"Seems little Blue has made some new friends." Came a voice from behind the saboteur, the Solstice cast a glance over his shoulder and smiled at the familiar black and white frame of his bond-mate. Prowl made his way over and sat down beside his spark-mate.

"He sure has." The silver mech responded as he watched their creation demand that a newly arrived Optimus slow Ironhide down, of course the Autobot leader rarely ever said no to the youngling and tripped the weapons specialist up. The black mech stumbled cursing their Prime before he was subdued by Bluestreak and his 'troops' "he was a little unsure at first but I guess that's understandable especially when it comes to making new friends."

"Hmm." The tactician hummed as he placed a hand upon the back of Jazz's right hip "humans can be somewhat judgemental."

"And Cybertronians aren't?" The saboteur inquired as he glanced at his bond-mate, a single optic ridge quirked behind his visor.

"Very true." The Dodge Charger replied as he met the Solstice's gaze before he glanced across to see their leader now being chased by the group of children, although Prowl couldn't help but smile at Bluestreak's and Annabelle's co-ordinated efforts in directing their friends into 'ambushing' Optimus and 'tagging' him. They only successfully managed to when Sergeant Epps provided them with 'ammunition' in form of water balloons, although the black and white knew that probably hadn't been a smart move as Annabelle more than happily targeted her father and starting a water fight. The 'skirmish' quickly escalated into an all out war as the NEST soldiers and their partners joined in with the fun and quickly took sides. The Autobots weren't safe either as they too were targeted by Bluestreak and the human younglings, and they either had to move out of the way or join in the impromptu 'battle'.

The tactician could feel the excitement and exhilaration his son was experiencing fully over the bond as he and Jazz had to quickly move out of the way, or they would end up being drenched as some of the children took refuge behind them. The Dodge Charger had to admit he had been sceptical whether his creation would make friends with the human younglings before his son and mate left the base. After all Bluestreak was always in constant contact with the service men and women at Diego Garcia, and children were very much different from adults. But the little grey mechlet had proved both him and his mate wrong by making friends with the children, however it was going to be a shame that Bluestreak would only get to spend the next couple of hours with them before they had to go home. Although he knew any future gatherings would give his youngling the opportunity to meet and catch up with his new human friends and strengthen bonds that he had created between their two species.

**A/N: **Another one down, and would you believe it three more have been added to the list which now makes ten more for me to write *heads desk* Next one up: Of Younglings and three little mechlets

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	18. Of Younglings and Thunderstorms

_**Title:** Of Younglings and Thunderstorms_

_**Rating:** K+_

_**Universe:** Movie 07/09 verse (AU)_

_**Characters: **Youngling Bluestreak, Prowl, Jazz and an ensemble of others_

_**Pairings: **ProwlxJazz_

_**Warnings:** fluff_

_**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition_

_**Summary:** Major Lennox helps a certain youngling overcome his fear of thunderstorms _

_A/N: Okay so the next one up was supposed to be; Of Younglings and three little mechlets, but the plot bunny for this one was persistent and demanded to be written first, but I will get that one up as soon as I can!_

Rain drummed against the corrugated iron roof of the aircraft hangar in a loud crescendo whilst lightning flashed across the sky threateningly across the black sky, thunder rumbled overhead in different pitches and aggression as the storm increased in ferocity. Major Lennox could curse at the sudden change in weather as now their flight back to Diego Garcia had been delayed a few hours until the outside conditions improved, but for now they were stuck at the New Jersey Air Base until they were cleared to take off. The head of staff had offered the human members of the team transport up to the main building complex so they could wait out the storm there, however Will had respectively declined their offer although that didn't meant the others couldn't take it up. But being the tight knit unit that they were, they decided to stay where their Autobot allies had to remain for the time being.

Lennox grimaced when a loud clap of thunder echoed through the hangar before he heard the soft terrified and distressed whimpers. The Major couldn't help but feel sympathetic toward a certain little youngling who was currently curled up in his spark carrier's lap, chevroned helm pressed against silver plates as he tried to block out the noise. Will made his way over to where both Jazz and Prowl were both sat beside an F22, he could hear the bonded pair humming a tune together whilst the saboteur stroked Bluestreak's back plates in a soothing gesture.

"Hey Blue." Lennox called out to the youngling, he was fully aware of both of Bluestreak's parents gazing down at him before the tactician's azure optics flickered over to where Sideswipe was, no doubt keeping an optic upon the red Lamborghini "how you holding up?"

Watery baby blue optics glanced at him "I'm … I'm okay." A whine escaped the youngling's vocaliser at the sound of a rumble, he tucked his helm again into his daddy's chest plates whilst he clamped a hand over his other audio receptor "daddy." He whimpered.

"Hey ssshhh." The Solstice uttered as he wrapped his arms around his creation, hugging him close as he rocked him gently back and forth. Will understood the helplessness that the little grey mechlet's parents were no doubt experiencing at that moment in time, after all he could recall the many times he had to soothe, comfort and reassure Annabelle through a thunderstorm, and although she had gotten over her fear of them she was still very wary of them.

The Major stood close to the silver mech's left knee and glanced up at the Autobot 3IC, lucky enough the head of special ops caught his gaze and peered down at him curiously "Jazz may I?" The saboteur followed the humans gaze to where he was looking and pointing, he was surprised that Will was asking to be picked up and placed upon his left thigh.

"Sure." The Solstice responded as he moved one of his arms and plucked Lennox off the floor before settling him upon his leg, the silver mech watched the human closely as Wills settled himself comfortably upon the smooth and warm metal plating, and also so he was at arms length from the youngling.

"Blue." The Major called as he settled his gaze upon the little grey mechlet, he waited for Bluestreak to look at him before he continued "you know you don't have to be afraid of thunder and lightning, neither of them are going to hurt you."

"I know b-but they're so scary … an' so loud an' I don't like them." The youngling sobbed as he tightened his already vice like grip upon his carrier's chest plates.

"Wanna know what my Gran'ma told me once?" Lennox asked.

"What's that?" The little grey mechlet asked in return as he swiped away a few tears.

"She told me once that the lightning was just a light show that the angels of heaven were putting on for the rest of the world to see, whilst the thunder was God telling them off for being so noisy." Will told him with a smile, he could see from the corner of his eye that Prowl was about to open his mouth plates, he was no doubt going to tell him how illogical that sounded when Jazz shot him a look that had the tactician shutting said mouth plates with a small _click_.

"Really?" Bluestreak inquired as he pushed away from his carrier although he kept a tight hold upon the silver chest armour he was gripping.

Lennox smiled "Yea really." He knew the youngling would learn about the science behind thunderstorms one day, and no doubt tell him that the idea about angels and God had been silly just like Annabelle had done "wanna see some of the cool videos Sergeant Grahams has on his cellphone?" The little grey mechlet glanced at him curiously and his little sensory panels rose upwards, although they soon drooped and Bluestreak quickly tried to bury his helm into his carrier's chassis again when lightning lit up the hangar and thunder boomed loudly overhead. Lennox heard Grahams shout something about it being a fantastic capture whilst Epps berated him about being stupid enough to use a cellphone during a storm, not too mention setting a bad example to a certain youngling who was far more interested in trying to bury himself into his daddy's chassis. The Major knew there was no way he was going to be able to pry Bluestreak away from his spark carrier so there was only one thing left to do.

"Grahams!" Lennox shouted across the hangar.

Both the Sergeant and Master Sergeant stopped bantering before the former glanced in Will's direction "Yes Sir?"

"Butt over here Sergeant." The Major ordered. Grahams glanced at Epps and levelled a light glare at his superior who was wearing a smug look upon his face, then he made his way across to where his leader was situated and stood beside Jazz's left knee joint.

"Sir?" Grahams inquired curiously as he stood to attention.

"Do you still have the photos and videos of those old military aircraft you saw last week whilst on leave in England?" Lennox asked, he knew one of the best ways to distract a child from what was going on around them was by showing them something they were interested in. And if there was one thing he had learnt about Bluestreak, was that the youngling loved the stereotypical boy stuff; cars, planes, boats/ships and trains.

"I do Major." The Sergeant responded.

"Mind showing them to Blue?" Will inquired, from the corner of his eye he could see the little grey mechlet looking at him curiously even if his helm was resting against silver chest plates.

A small smile appeared upon the younger man's lips "Sure." Grahams stepped onto the saboteur's offered hand since the mech suspected he would want up, the Sergeant made his way across to where his superior before he settled upon the silver mech's thigh beside Lennox. Grahams flicked through the files on his Iphone before tilting the screen in Bluestreak's direction as the video began playing, the drone of the old aircraft's engines was enough to draw the youngling away from the 3IC's chassis and get him to sit in the well of Jazz's lap instead, the little grey mechlet shuffled his backside until he was sat comfortably upon the saboteur crossed calves.

"What's that?" Bluestreak asked as he pointed at the touch screen when the plane flew over who they gathered had been Grahams.

"It's called a Lancaster Bomber Blue and you see these two little planes escorting her?" The youngling nodded "they're called the Spitfire and the Hurricane." The Sergeant explained as he glanced at the little grey mechlet. He happened to notice that the youngling neither flinched nor grimaced at the low rumble of thunder overhead, although he spotted the two little sensory panels flicking upwards as they registered the noise instead.

"Wow are they really old coz I've never seen planes like that at Diego Garcia?" The little grey mechlet asked as he briefly glanced at Grahams before transferring his gaze back down to the screen.

The young man smiled "Yea Blue they are, they use to fight in a war over seventy years ago." The video finished and Grahams quickly started another to keep the youngling distracted as the storm continued to rumble overhead, although it sounded as though it was beginning to dissipate.

"Oh wow cool I wanna go and see these! Can I daddy, father pretty please?" The little grey mechlet asked as he glanced at each of his parents in turn before transferring his gaze back to the screen of the cell phone, clearly now ignoring the storm rumbling overhead.

"We'll see Blue." Prowl replied as he stood and stretched to undo all of the kinks in his joints, he peered up and out of the top hangar windows and noticed immediately that the sky was beginning to brighten and the rain and wind was starting to ease off. The tactician turned his attention to his son who was now talking excitedly about the aircraft Sergeant Grahams was showing him, although every now and again Bluestreak would cringe when there was a crack of thunder. But at least he had finally calmed down, not that the Dodge Charger could blame his offspring for not liking storms, after all he could vividly remember some of the nasty acid storms they use to have back on Cybertron when he was a youngling which would send him scurrying him under his berth. Prowl was relieved some what when Major Lennox had stepped in as a distraction since nothing that he and Jazz had done, was simply not enough to keep him preoccupied. Although he knew he would have to teach Bluestreak about the physics of thunderstorms sooner or later, rather than let him believe that Major Lennox's explanation to be true. The tactician was drawn out of his thoughts when he felt his spark-mate nudge his consciousness, the Dodge Charger glanced over to where the saboteur was now … stood? He had to look again at that as Bluestreak had remained firmly attached to his carrier's chassis the past couple of hours, and now he was following Lennox and Grahams over to the open doorway although the youngling seemed still somewhat hesitant.

"Score one fer us Prowler even if it wasn't through our own undoing." Jazz said as he glanced at his bonded.

"Most certainly." Prowl replied as he stood beside the saboteur, his gaze never leaving the small grey form of his son. Bluestreak had found enough courage to stand next to the open doorway, although he shrunk back slightly every now and again when lightning flashed across the dark sky a few miles from the base.

"Alright we've got the all clear from the met. office, and a C17 is being rolled out now ta take us home!" Epps called out. Immediately the hangar erupted with activity as soldiers scrambled up off the floor and gathered their back packs and duffel bags which had been used as pillows or seating up until that point.

"Alright people let's move out!" The Major ordered before he slipped out of the door followed closely by one youngling and several members of his team whilst the others opened up one of the hangar doors so the Autobots could step out of the building and onto the wet tarmac before they rejoined the group.

"Wait we're going home now?" Bluestreak asked as he slowed in his steps, his baby blue optics now focused upon the storm cell moving away from them.

"It'll be fine Blue." Jazz told his creation as he headed over to the C17 waiting on the tarmac, its cargo door wide open.

"But … but what if the angels don't want us in the sky and hit the plane with one of their lightning bolts, and what if God tells us off we could be in big trouble." The youngling rambled on as he reluctantly trudged after the group.

Will shook his head in amusement "Bluestreak we're going the other way."

The youngling trotted behind the bemused NEST soldiers whilst his parents herded him toward the C17 "Yea but the storm could chase us and then we'll be in huge trouble and I don't want to jump out of a plane coz I don't like heights and ….."

Lennox had to hold back a laugh at what he was hearing from Bluestreak as the youngling pointed out the many reasons why they shouldn't be going home now. He guided the little grey mechlet up the ramp into the cargo hold and toward the seating area where the other humans were beginning to settle in for the flight back. The Major knew it was going to be a long trip back to Diego Garcia for many reasons, he just hoped that Bluestreak would tire himself out eventually and fall into recharge on the way there so they could have some peace and quiet.

_**A/N:** *What Will tells Bluestreak is actually what my own grandma told me when I was little and it just seemed appropriate. Anyway another one down! Next up? well that depends on how the plot bunnies behave._


	19. Of Younglings and New Arrivals

_**Title:** Of Younglings and New Arrivals_

_**Rating:** K+_

_**Universe:** Movie 07/09 verse (AU)_

_**Characters: **Youngling Bluestreak, Prowl, Jazz and an ensemble of others_

_**Pairings: **ProwlxJazz_

_**Warnings:** fluff, use of profanities_

_**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition, although a pair of certain individuals in this fic belong to me but I won't say anything further_

_**Summary:** A certain youngling is given the opportunity to greet the newest arrivals landing upon Earth._

_**A/N:** So this one demanded to be written next, and this was a request for **Bumblebee's girl**, hope you enjoy hun!_

Bluestreak grumbled as he was brought out his recharge cycle, he on-lined his optics and glanced around his dimly lit room looking for the source of noise that had disturbed him. He found nothing at first, but it was then that he heard it, the low tones of his parents talking, although it sounded more like they were arguing if the sound of their voices was anything to go by. The youngling kicked off his blanket and clambered out of his berth, he tiptoed across his room and poked his chevroned helm around the doorway and immediately he spotted his parents in the living space, his carrier was currently fussing over his father who wasn't quite appreciating the attention and was snapping back at his daddy. Bluestreak decided now was probably the best time to show himself before his parents started arguing, something that seemed to be happening quite a bit recently. Ratchet had explained to him that it was apart of what his creators were going through, but the youngling hated seeing them being nasty to one another and would step in to tell them off, then get them to give each other a big hug and say they were sorry.

The youngling stepped out of his room, his little sensory panels drooping as he approached his creators "Father, daddy." Both his sire and his carrier stopped bickering and glanced at him, his daddy quickly made his way over whilst his father remained where he was, his clawed hands gripping the top of the couch.

"Hey baby." Jazz greeted his son as he knelt down in front of him, their gazes meeting.

"Were you and father arguin' again?" The little grey mechlet asked as he clutched his hands in front of him, his gaze fully focused upon the floor.

The saboteur glanced at his mate and noticed a small grimace that he was trying to hide, he frowned at that but he quickly turned his attention back to his creation "No Blue we were just havin' a disagreement about somethin'."

"Okay." Bluestreak responded timidly, usually by now he would be able to feel the comfort, love and reassurance his parents would send him, but the bond was strangely quiet and he had to look to Barricade for the same comforting and reassuring thoughts instead. The youngling glanced at his sire when he heard a small hiss of pain escape his vocaliser "daddy what's wrong with father?"

"Nothing Blue I'm fine." Prowl responded through clenched denta as he felt another harsh tug on his spark, he knew that once the spark pulsations began to grow stronger was the time for him to head to the med-bay. But he knew his spark-mate was likely to get his own way and have him in the repair bay sooner than he liked, although he understood he couldn't fault Jazz's insistence since this was his first sparkling. Ratchet had found both his and Jazz's gestation cycles normal with no signs that they would go the same way as the saboteur's first pregnancy did, although they suspected that much of the Solstice's gestation was influenced by the Allspark shard. But that didn't stop the pair of them experiencing each of the unfortunate symptoms that came along with the condition any less, which had lead to some interesting heated debates and arguments, most of which occurred out of earshot of Bluestreak since the youngling hated them fighting. The Dodge Charger was drawn out of his thoughts when he felt an even harsher tug upon his spark which drew a hiss of pain out of him, he dug the clawed fingertips of his left hand into his chest plates at the persistent pain. Immediately Jazz glanced at him with a look of concern not too mention slight irritation.

"Cut the slag Prowl, what's goin' on?" The saboteur demanded as he stood up, facing his bonded fully.

"I think the sparkling could be detaching." The black and white mech responded.

"Why the frag didn't you say anything?" The Solstice demanded as he instantly pinged Ratchet's comm. link and told him to prepare for incoming.

Prowl levelled a glare at him as he tried to get his intakes under control "Because I knew this was exactly how you would react."

The silver mech returned his glare as he scooped up Bluestreak surprising the youngling with the move "Alright stay here, Ratchet knows and will be awaitin' our arrival, but first I gotta find someone ta look after Blue." With that Jazz rushed out of their quarters and began transversing the interconnecting corridors looking for anyone to take on the little grey mech for the next few to several hours, although in the back of his mind he knew it was likely to be longer as there was a chance that once the sparkling detached from his spark-mate's spark, the twin he was carrying was likely to follow soon afterwards. After running through numerous corridors he finally spotted the backside of Ironhide just rounding a corner just a few metres in front of him.

"Ironhide just the mech I'm lookin' fer!" Jazz shouted out to his comrade as he hurried down the corridor.

"Jazz what can I do for ….?" The weapons specialist began to inquire only to find himself with an arm full of youngling, he gave a small noise of surprise whilst Bluestreak grunted in indignation of simply being dumped in the other mech's arms "Jazz what's ….?"

"No time to explain, I just need ya ta look after Blue fer me." The saboteur responded before he bolted down the corridor like his aft was on fire. The black mech stared after his superior before he glanced down at the little grey mechlet who looked none too happy.

"Well ain't this just dandy hey Blue?" Ironhide asked as he began making his way down the corridor, he would have to find another one of his comrades to take the youngling as he was heading out with a unit to the back country of Australia to greet a new team. Although he was beginning to wonder if Bluestreak was willing to get off the base for a while, and if Optimus would allow taking the little grey mechlet with them. After all he would be adequately protected if the Decepticons decided to attack them whilst they were out in the open. And there was only one mechanoid he could ask so he abruptly turned and began making his way toward the offices where he knew Optimus was finalising a few things before he too joined the unit heading out to Australia. Along the way the weapons specialist quickly realised that Bluestreak was being awfully quiet which was highly unusual for the youngling.

"What's on your mind kiddo?" The weapons specialist inquired.

The little grey mechlet looked up at him "I wanna know if father's gonna be alright coz daddy was really worried about him before he left." Then it suddenly dawned upon Bluestreak and his drooping sensory panels rose upwards "do ya think my brother could be on the way 'Hide coz that would be really cool don't you?"

The black mech chuckled "Might be but we won't know until your carrier comes and collects you later." _'That's if the other twin doesn't arrive and leave you parent-less for the night'_ Ironhide wanted to add on the end but didn't, he understood if that was the case then a suitable caretaker would have to be found to take the little mechlet for the night since Barricade was off the base. The shock trooper's absence was pre-planned so he wasn't at Diego Garcia when the new unit arrived, after all the last thing they wanted was for Bluestreak to see his uncle being blown to smithereens in front of him.

"I guess." The youngling muttered into his chest plates before he glanced up again "where we goin'?"

"I need to ask Optimus something." The weapons specialist replied, the little grey mechlet looked at him curiously, his chevroned helm cocked to the side "well your carrier kinda dropped you off at the wrong time as I'm heading out to Australia." He noticed Bluestreak's crestfallen look "but I'm going to ask him if he'll approve of letting you come with us." The youngling perked up at that and gave him an almost pleading look, the black mech chuckled "I'll see what I can do."

"Do you know whose coming to Earth?" The little grey mechlet asked.

"A very old friend of Optimus'." Ironhide responded.

Bluestreak grinned cheekily "Like Skyfire old? Because if he is doesn't that make Optimus really older and you and old Hatchet even older?"

"Cheeky little glitch." The weapons specialist as he gently poked the the youngling in the side, earning him a round of laughter from the mechlet "an' no he's not that old little fragger, bet you don't say that to your parents?"

Bluestreak grinned up at the black mech "Nope and naughty 'Hide for sayin' the 'F' word."

"You just insulted me I think I can get away with that." The black mech said as he gave the youngling a playful glare.

"Away with what?" A new voice asked, both mechs glanced in the direction it came from to see Optimus stood there with a data-pad in one of his hands.

"Nothing." Ironhide immediately responded.

"'Hide swore." The little grey mechlet told the Prime, he gave the weapons specialist a grin before he glanced back at the semi Peter-built "Optimus can I come with you when you go and meet the new Autobots, pretty please coz daddy and father are busy and if 'Hide goes then I'm not gonna have anyone to look after me and I really wanna meet the new Autobots and I promise to be good if you let me come."

The large red and blue mech didn't respond immediately as he tried to work through the long winded sentence before he finally opened his mouth plates to answer "Alright Blue, I'll let you come this once, and exactly what are your parents up too?" He would have to check up on his second and third in command and find out what was happening with them.

Bluestreak glanced down as he drew lazily circles upon the pristine black armoured plating of Ironhide's chest "Something was wrong with father and dad had to find someone to look after me ..."

"I understand Blue." Optimus replied, he pinged Jazz's comm. link to inform his head of special operations about the arrangements for the little grey mechlet, the saboteur happily acknowledged and told his commander that he wasn't sure when they youngling would be collected, but the Prime simply told him everything would be dealt with once they got back "actually I was just on my way to the hangar now." Normally they would use the transwarp gate, but it was currently under maintenance so they had no choice but to take two of the C17's instead.

"Then we better head in that direction too don't you think Blue." The weapons specialist suggested.

"Aye sir." The youngling responded as he gave the black mech a salute, one that he pulled off perfectly. Optimus chuckled at that as he began heading in the direction of the entrance of the base with Ironhide and Bluestreak following closely behind. The three of them exited the base and headed across the tarmac where two C17's were sat upon the runway ready for take off, Major Lennox and his unit were stood beside one of them talking amidst themselves.

"Are we ready to leave Major?" Optimus inquired as he made his way over with Ironhide following closely behind.

"We are but shouldn't Bluestreak be with another guardian?" Will asked as he glanced at the youngling who was still babbling to Ironhide.

"Not today, he's coming with us." The Prime responded as he dropped into his alt. mode.

Lennox knew he didn't have to look behind him to know that the others were cringing at the thought of taking the little grey mechlet with them, not that they minded but if they had a repeat like last time, the Major knew he would be amongst the many jumping out of the plane with or without a parachute.

"Understood." Will replied before he gestured for the other disgruntled soldiers to make their way into the cargo hold where a few of the other Autobot were already settled in for the flight.

"Alright Blue you need to go with Will an' the others." Ironhide said as he placed the youngling down upon the tarmac, the little grey mechlet nodded and immediately trotted over to Lennox's unit where he instantly began talking the poor soldiers ears off. The weapons specialist chuckled at that and knew it was going to be a long flight for the NEST soldiers, not too mention them since Bluestreak didn't have anything to distract himself with, the GMC Top kick did contemplate going back inside to grab something that would keep the youngling preoccupied, but a sadistic part of him decided against it. After all the little grey mechlet would keep the soldiers entertained for the next several hours with his incessant talking about any and everything.

**Australia – Several hours later ….**

Ironhide took it all back as he transformed into bipedal mode the moment he was clear of the C17's cargo hold, that had been the longest flight ever from Diego Garcia to the outback and could feel the faint beginnings of a processor ache starting. That and now the heat of the late afternoon/early evening sun wasn't exactly helping matters, in fact he could still hear Bluestreak yabbering now and was amazed that the youngling hadn't run out of things to talk about as they headed away from the abandoned airstrip to the proposed landing sight. Unfortunately along the way he happened to overhear that much of it was the pre-planning of numerous pranks to come since his listener was none other than Sideswipe, the front-liner interjected every now and again with his own ideas as he led the youngling to a protective overhang once they had arrived several minutes later at the co-ordinates.

_'At least he's doing his duty as the kid's guardian.'_ Ironhide thought as he made his way over "what are the pair of you planning?"

Bluestreak grinned up at the weapons specialist from the shade "How to take over the world."

"Oh really? Looks like we'll have to tell Megatron he's got competition." The black mech replied.

"Old Bucket head already has competition silly 'Hide, Optimus can kick his butt from here all the way to the moon and back and still be home in time for dinner." The youngling replied as he stood proudly, both the red Lamborghini and Ironhide chuckled at that.

"He certainly can Blue." Sideswipe told him "c'mon let's see if we can get the dandelion of doom to play tag to pass the time."

Bluestreak took his proffered hand and followed after his guardian "Okay." Although the pair of them didn't get far before suddenly overhead there was an explosion in the upper atmosphere before a loud roaring noise, which had one youngling racing across to the black mech and cowering from the sound against Ironhide's lower right leg. The little grey mechlet peered out from behind the weapons specialist's leg to see five flaming comet like structures soar across the early evening sky leaving a trailing blaze of heated up atmospheric gases and debris that they had shed during their decent, before they crashed into the dusty and hard terrain with an earth shattering noise that filled the silence and had the ground trembling beneath their feet from the multiple impacts.

"Is that them?" Bluestreak inquired as he glanced up at the weapons specialist.

Ironhide gave the little grey mechlet a smile "Yea it is, come on let's go and greet them." He held out his hand for the youngling to take, although Bluestreak was somewhat hesitant but none the less he took the proffered hand and followed the black mech to where the five new arrivals were stood talking to Hound and Sideswipe whilst Sunstreaker stood off to the side. The little grey mechlet noticed that the five new ones all slightly differentiated in heights, although they all had distinguishable colours so Bluestreak could at least tell them apart from now. The youngling watched as Optimus made his way toward the new group before his gaze flickered over in time to see the five protoforms stand to attention and salute their commander like Major Lennox's soldiers did when addressing Will or General Morshower.

"At ease." The large red and blue mech told them as he held up a hand.

"It's good to see you Prime." Ultra Magnus said as he greeted the Autobot leader with a brief salute and a clasp of forearms.

"And you old friend." Optimus responded as he returned the gesture "I'm glad your team made it here safely."

The large blue and white mech offered him a small smile "As am I and there is much that we have to report."

The large red and blue mech shook his head in amusement "I'm sure there is, but it'll have to wait until we reach the base at Diego Garcia."

"Of course." Ultra Magnus replied as he glanced at the assembled group before his azure gaze fell upon a glint of grey plating slightly hidden from view behind Ironhide's right leg, baby blue optics flicking between the other Autobots but particularly the new arrivals. The large blue and white mech couldn't help the surprise infusing his frame at the sight of the little youngling, whom he realised now looked very much like a certain second in command he knew "Prime."

"Hmm." Optimus hummed as he glanced at his close friend before following his gaze to his weapons specialist.

"Optimus that's a youngling." Ultra Magus told him.

The Prime smiled "Most certainly is." He met the other mech's gaze before he glanced at the little grey mechlet who was now looking at them "Bluestreak come here." The youngling glanced up at Ironhide who gestured for him to go before he hesitantly stepped out from behind the GMC Top kick, he fidgeted with his hands as he shyly made his way across, his little sensory panels drooping slightly upon his back. Once the little grey mechlet was close enough, the semi Peter-built picked him up and settled him on his right hip "Ultra Magnus this is Bluestreak, Bluestreak this is Ultra Magnus, he's one of my closest friends."

"Hi." The youngling greeted the large blue and white mech timidly whilst trying to tuck himself into the red and blue mech's chassis.

"Hello Bluestreak." Ultra Magnus responded as he took in every noticeable feature of Bluestreak such as the sensory panels that were waving back and forth upon the youngling's back and the red chevron adorning his helm "he looks very much like Prowl."

Optimus chuckled "That's because he is Prowl's son."

Both of the large blue and white mech's optic ridges upwards at that, then it dawned upon him "Need I ask who his other creator is?"

The Prime shook his head in amusement "No I think its pretty obvious who ..." He suddenly cut off by a certain red and cherise individual who had finally gotten bored of listening to Kup recite some of his war stories to the humans.

"Whoa wait, Prowl? As in stick in the slag Prowl? The same Prowl who recites protocol and regulation to everyone else, has a bitlet?" Hot Rod inquired in surprise as he glanced at the Autobot leader, ignoring how the small frown was appearing upon the youngling's facial plates and the way small sensory panels rose up sharply.

"The same one." The semi Peter-built told him as he began heading to the rest of the group, both Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod followed shortly after although the red and cherise mech couldn't but notice the light glare the little grey mechlet kept casting him over Optimus' shoulder. The Prime informed the new unit that they were to chose their alternate modes from using the humans internet to take on a new form. Since they were no where near a highway for them to find and scan an alt. mode. The Semi Peter-built glanced at the little grey mechlet who was still sat on his hip and giving Hot Rod the 'evils' as Jazz would so eloquently put it. Optimus knew he would have to lay down the rules with the new unit as he had done with the others, which meant they would have to watch themselves when it came to insulting Bluestreak's parents good naturedly or not. The Prime signalled for the group to join him before ordering all of his fellow Autobots to transform into their alt. modes, then once every Cybertronian had taken on their vehicular mode, they headed back towards the abandoned runway where the two C17's they had arrived in, would be waiting for their arrival.

It took a little longer for them to arrive as Sideswipe (clearly bored now that he had no-one to talk to about future pranks since Bluestreak was deep in recharge, the youngling was now curled up on the front passenger seat in Optimus' alt. mode) decided to goad Hot Rod into a bout of racing. A first the red and cherise fourth Generation Pontiac Fire bird tried to ignore the red Lamborghini's taunts, but in the end he accepted the challenge after Sunstreaker decided to take a stab at his pride. The Prime had soon called it off however and quickly berated the pair of them for their recklessness, after all there could have been humans (other than the NEST soldiers) in the outback with them, and their reckless behaviour could have drawn unnecessary attention to them. With all possible further incidents averted, the team continued to the landing strip, although as soon as the two C17's came into view, the semi Peter-built overheard Springer retort something about not wanting to be cooped up inside such an antiquated machine and would rather fly. The red and blue mech was just about to open his mouth plates to tell the Wrecker that he was to travel with the rest of them when Major Lennox beat him to it, Will happily told the triple changer that the military unit stationed at Diego Garcia would identify him as an enemy and blow him out of the sky since his Cybertronian identification code was unknown to them.

With that settled and the new arrivals now somewhat disgruntled about being cooped up in the large cargo planes and strapped down, the C17's took off and headed back to Diego Garcia. The humans were kept entertained by listening to some of Kup's old war stories since it gave them the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into Cybertron and its history, although eventually they retired to the part of the cargo hold reserved for them to get some sleep or in Major Lennox's case, the chance to write up his report for Director Galloway that stated very clearly _'everything went smoothly, and no we didn't create a inter-national incident that you predicted we would just because we've done it once or twice through no fault of __our__ own.'_

The several hour journey passed quickly and it wasn't long before the two C17's were landing upon the airstrip at Diego Garcia, each of the cargo hold doors hissed open before lowering to the ground to allow their passengers to disembark. Optimus waited for one of them others to transform into their bipedal modes so they could remove Bluestreak from his interior before he was able to convert to root mode, he took the recharging youngling from Ironhide and settled the little grey mechlet in his arms. The Prime smiled down at the fast asleep Bluestreak as the youngling snuggled into his chassis before he glanced up when he heard footsteps approach, his azure gaze met that of Mirage's as the blue and white mech made his way over, arms seemingly devoid of a sparkling although the semi Peter-built quickly realised that Hound had probably claimed his son from his bond-mate, or the infant had been left in the care of one of the others.

"Status?" Optimus asked.

"Everything is running smoothly, the transwarp gate is back up and running, Skyfire and Wheeljack found no bugs in the system." The spy responded.

"Any word from Ratchet?" The Prime inquired as he glanced down at the youngling in his arms.

"No not yet." Mirage replied.

The semi Peter-built met the Ford GT's gaze again "Any news from our away team?"

The spy glanced across to where his spark-mate was with the others before transferring his gaze back to his commander "Barricade reported in an hour ago, and they should …."

"Barricade?" Ultra Magnus demanded, cutting the Ford GT off "the same two bit glitch Decepticon Barricade?"

"It's a long story my friend, one I think would be better told in private." Optimus told him, he nodded to Mirage and the spy quickly disappeared. The Prime gestured for the large blue and white mech to follow him once he had instructed the others that they would debrief in the morning before stepping into the base. The semi Peter-built led Ultra Magnus through the inter-connecting corridors until they reached his office, Optimus keyed in the code and the door slid open. The Prime made his way over to the couch positioned against the wall and gently laid the youngling down upon it, the little grey mechlet shivered and curled into himself at the loss of warmth but quickly settled into recharge again.

"Its truly fantastic to see younglings once again." Ultra Magnus said as he watched his leader gently arrange Bluestreak so he would be more comfortable.

"Well it was only a matter of time when there would be a pause in the conflict, that one of the bonded pairs would finally chose to have offspring." The semi Peter-built responded as he stepped back from the couch and glanced at his old friend, a small smile appearing upon his lip components "and I think its nice to have a little anarchy that isn't twin or Decepticon related."

"Hmm I remember the chaos Bumblebee use to cause." The large blue and white mech said "thankfully there's only Bluestreak here."

"Actually there is another sparkling on the base, and I believe two more are about to arrive in the world today, another set of twins." The large red and blue mech replied as he made his way round to his seat and missing the somewhat horrified look upon Magnus' facial plates at the mention of twins, after all it was bad enough dealing with one set let alone another. Optimus chuckled when he saw the expression upon his friend's face "I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think it'll be."

"Famous last words Prime." Ultra Magnus told him as he sat opposite his leader, his gaze flicking over briefly to the slumbering youngling before he glanced back at the semi Peter-built expectantly.

"Well as you may have gathered a lot has happened in the millennia since we began the retrieval of the Allspark." Optimus began as he sat back, he knew this was going to be a long night. But a part of him wasn't the least bit bothered after all it was nice to finally see their 'family' being reunited under one roof and on one planet rather than scattered across the universe.

**Next day ….**

Optimus stepped into the med-bay the following morning after receiving a message from Ratchet that it was okay for him to come down. Bluestreak was currently perched upon one of his hips since the little grey mechlet was feeling particularly lazy that morning, he watched as the youngling's frame tense and knew that the bitlet's fear of the repair bay was rearing its head. He frowned at that and knew a few words would have to be said to the twins, but the Prime quickly reassured him that Ratchet wouldn't throw anything or reformat him into a toaster before he made his way over to one of the CMO's office. He gently rapped his knuckles gently upon the glass pane next to the open doorway to alert the pair of mechs inside.

"Good morning." He greeted Ratchet and Jazz who turned to glance at him.

"Is it?" The medic inquired sarcastically although he sounded tired, without a doubt it had probably been a long night for him.

"Mornin' Prime, hey Blue." The saboteur responded as he made his way over, Bluestreak's baby blue optics immediately settled upon the bundle in his carrier's arms.

"Is that?" The youngling began to ask as he leant forward to get a better look, the Solstice chuckled and stepped closer to his leader and his first born before Bluestreak nearly took a swan dive off of Optimus' hip.

"Yea, Blue this is ya sister Rhapsody." Jazz told him with a smile, the little grey mechlet warbled as he gently peeled away the blanket near his sister's helm so he could get a better look at her.

Bluestreak glanced up at his carrier "She's so small."

"She most certainly is little one, but if I remember correctly you were also just as small when you were a sparkling." The Prime told the youngling as he too had a good long gander at the infant in his 3IC's arms, the sparkling was primarily white with flecks of black and gold upon different areas of her frame. It also appeared she was going to take very much after Jazz as he spotted two small stubby finned horns upon the sides of her helm.

"Rhapsody here is th' noisy one an' Rhythm over there is th' quiet one." The saboteur pointed out.

Optimus quirked an optic ridge at that "A mech and a femme?"

A tired smile appeared upon the Solstice's lip components "Yea."

"So I have a brother and a sister?" Bluestreak asked as he glanced at his carrier, his small sensory panels drifting up in a lazy 'V' before they began fluttering. The Solstice chuckled at first born's excitement at learning he had a brother since the youngling had been adamant he wanted one, although Jazz would have to tell him that it was he who had been carrying the little grey mechlet's brother and not Prowl.

"You do Blue." Another voice spoke up, the youngling turned around quickly nearly upsetting his position upon the Prime's hip once again when he heard the familiar voice of his sire. Ratchet pushed himself up out of his seat and made his way over, he gently handed over a still slumbering Rhythm to his father since Bluestreak was quite happy remaining where he was for now. Both Optimus and the youngling had a good look at the new mechling and noticed he was primarily black with silver highlights, the beginnings of a small chevron which was coloured gold rather than red, created his forehead. The little grey mechlet took a good long gander at his sibling before he glanced away from his new brother to look at his carrier.

"Dad can I hold one of them?" The youngling inquired before he looked at his sire "can I father?"

"I don't see why not." Prowl replied as he glanced at his mate before transferring his gaze back to his first born "who do you want to hold?"

Bluestreak glanced back and forth between his new siblings before he glanced at his daddy "Can I hold Rhapsody?" Both of his parents were somewhat surprised by that as they had expected that their youngling would ask to hold his brother rather than his sister, but none the less Jazz asked his commander to place the little grey mechlet in Ratchet's chair before making his way over. Once Bluestreak was comfortably settled, the saboteur arranged his son's arms before gently placing Rhapsody in his hold. Immediately the youngling's sensory panels began fluttering and he couldn't help the big grin that appeared upon his facial plates as he glanced down at the lax facial plates of his new sister. Although it wasn't long before Bluestreak's sensory panels stopped fluttering but instead started waving back and forth when he felt Rhapsody stir in his arms, he glanced at his carrier for reassurance especially more so when emerald green optics un-shuttered and on-lined. A warble escaped the sparkling's vocaliser and the youngling glanced at his daddy unsure of what to do, the Solstice encouraged his eldest to click at the little femme in return, the little grey mechlet did as what was suggested and was taken a little by surprise when his sister squealed and a plethora of clicks, chirps and whistles escaped her. Bluestreak giggled at the clear excitement emanating from the sparkling before he glanced up when he heard a sleepy warble from his brother. Prowl made his way over and crouched down on the other side of his eldest creation and tilted his arms so the sparkling could see his older brother and his twin, the youngling leant over slightly and clicked at his brother only to get a few weary chirps in response, Bluestreak frowned at his father as he couldn't understand why one of his siblings was being rather noisy whilst the other wasn't.

"Don't worry Blue, Rhythm just wants ta recharge." Jazz told him as he smoothed a clawed hand over his eldest creation's helm.

"Okay." The youngling replied as he glanced back down at his sister who was trying to stuff all of her fingers in her mouth whilst she continued to click and coo.

"So who'd ya get ta meet yesterday?" The saboteur asked.

"There was this really big guy called Ultra Magnus, then an old guy who liked telling lots and lots of stories, and another one who liked to talk really, really fast and uncle Sunny told him to mute it or he'd stick his foot up his aft, then there was this green guy and an annoying one who said horrible things about father." The little grey mechlet responded as he wiggled his fingers above his sisters helm, the little femme removed her fingers from her mouth and attempted to reach for them, then once she had secured one of her older brother's fingers she happily stuffed it in her mouth "eww Rhaps."

"Hot Rod made a comment, but I had Ultra Magnus have a few words with him this morning about keeping his remarks to a minimum." Optimus told the bonded pair.

"Dare I ask?" Prowl inquired as he glanced up at their leader.

"He was just somewhat surprised that you had taken the time to settle down and start a family." The Prime replied "anyway I better be going so I can start assigning your duties to the others until you're both ready to return to duty."

"Just make sure you give those two half dimwitted twins something extensive to do." Ratchet told the semi Peter-built "I don't want to see them in here for the next day or two."

"Don't worry Ratchet I will do." Optimus said before he glanced at Prowl and Jazz again "and congratulations to the pair of you."

"Thank you sir." The bonded pair responded before they turned their attention to their creations. The Prime glanced at the growing family once more before finally stepping out of the office and heading toward the med-bay doors. Creation was truly a wonderful thing especially after they had believed that their species had been doomed to extinction with the loss of the Allspark, but now they knew they could look forward to the future where they hoped their race would flourish once more.

_**A/N:** There you go Bluestreak's siblings have finally arrived in the world. And if you have any further requests hold on to them for now and I'll let you know when I'm ready to take on a few more. Next chapter up: Of sparklings and bath-times!_


	20. Of Sparklings and Bathtimes

_**Title:** Of Sparklings and Bath-times_

_**Rating:** K+_

_**Universe:** Movie 07 verse (AU)_

_**Characters: **sparkling Bluestreak, Prowl, Jazz and a mention of others_

_**Pairings: **ProwlxJazz_

_**Warnings:** complete and utter fluff_

_**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition_

_**Summary:** A certain sparkling happily reminds a certain tactician just how difficult bath-time can truly be sometimes_

_**A/N: **A little fluffy fic that my little sister suggested to me, and the bunny bit and demanded to be written. And I've also gone back and added a brief description of what Rhythm looks like in the previous one shot, thank you to **GemDragon22** and g**irl1213** for reminding me about that! :)_

If there was one part of the day that Prowl didn't enjoy, it would have to be the early evening, particularly more so if it was his turn to bath a certain creation of his. Normally it was a task he rather leave to his mate, but as fate would have it Jazz was on the late shift and wouldn't be back for another hour or so. However until then he had a ten month old sparkling who needed a bath, feeding and putting down for the night. The tactician stepped out of the wash rack and into the main living space, his azure optics scanning the room for his errant sparkling, lucky enough he had made sure all safety gates had been shut and any and everything harmful to the infant had been moved up out of the way. The Dodge Charger heard clicking and warbling on the other side of the couch, he chuckled as he made his way over and glanced over the top, Bluestreak was currently shuffling his way around the edge although at that moment in time the bitlet was trying to reach some data-pads that had been placed upon the arm of the couch.

"Little mechling." The black and white mech rumbled, the sparkling glanced up at him giving him the well renowned cheeky grin his bond-mate usually gave him, Prowl couldn't help the smile tugging at his lip components as he stepped around the couch and plucked the paint soiled infant up off the floor. Not that the tactician's paintwork was any different as he had numerous coloured diminutive hand prints upon his armoured plating, a result of the bitlet getting bored of the large sheet of paper he had been 'decorating' before moving his 'artwork' to his sire's normally pristine plating. Bluestreak squealed and fluttered his sensory panels as the Dodge Charger neatly tossed him into the air before catching him and nuzzling his son' nasal plates with his own. Automatically the sparkling tried to latch onto his father's chevron but lucky enough the black and white mech managed to deposit him in the crook of his left arm before he could.

Prowl carried the noisy chirping and clicking sparkling into the wash rack and stepped over to the tub where he dipped his fingers into the water to check the temperature, the tactile sensors in his fingertips registered that it was at the right degrees before he switched off both taps. Then with an armful of squirming sparkling who was happily gumming his fingers whilst warbling, the tactician made his way over to the shelving unit, plucked out a few toys including one rubber ducky and tossed them neatly into the bath. Next he placed a few towels down next to the tub with one for him, one for Bluestreak and one for him to step on so he didn't trail watery tracks through the living quarters. Normally the sparkling would be bathed first then either he or Jazz would shower whilst the other attended to the infant, however since his spark-mate wasn't here he was going to have to take a bath with Bluestreak, not that it would be the first time he had done it.

Once that task was completed, the Dodge Charger stepped over the rim of the bath before settling in the lukewarm water, it was a little cold for his liking but it was perfect for Bluestreak. Slowly he lowered his creation into the water as he knew simply plonking the infant straight into the water could cause adverse reactions, and the black and white mech didn't particularly want a distressed sparkling on his hands. Prowl couldn't help but chuckle when the infant's feet touched the water as almost immediately Bluestreak squealed around his fingers which were still stuck in his mouth and began kicking out, splashing water at him. The tactician settled the sparkling's backside upon the bottom of the bath since the water wasn't all that deep, then once the infant was settled the Dodge Charger reached over the top of his son and plucked the wash cloth, soft bristled brush and cleaning solution off the side of the tub.

"Better get you cleaned up before your carrier sees you and calls me a hypocrite for letting you get dirty." The black and white mech told his offspring as he applied a small amount of solution to the soft bristled brush, he gently began to clean each of Bluestreak's joints whilst the sparkling attempted to 'drown' his blue rubber ducky. A plethora of clicks, warbles, chirps and whistles left the infant's vocaliser as he managed to squeeze all of the air out of the toy before leaving it submerged in favour of one another one which he also tried to drown, although this time he was taken somewhat by surprise when the air bubbles erupted from the bottom of the toy and brushed against the plating between his legs.

"Excuse you little mechling." The tactician said with a small chuckle, Bluestreak glanced up at his father and twittered indignantly at him as if to say _'it wasn't me', _a small laugh escaped the Dodge Charger at that as he shifted one of his lower legs so it was resting against the sparkling's back. The black and white mech then plucked one of the infant's feet out of the water which in turn made the little grey mechlet lie backwards against his leg. Bluestreak grunted and tried to twitch his sensory panels before he squealed in laughter when his sire began tickling the foot he had hold of, Prowl chuckled at that as he used the moment to clean the sparkling's ped. The tactician quickly cleaned the infant's other ped, then his legs, arms, belly and chest plates before he plucked Bluestreak out of the water. The little grey bitlet clicked and warbled at him around a mouthful of rubber ducky (which he had 'rescued from the bottom of the tub) as the Dodge Charger turned him around, however as he tried to get his creation to sit back down in the water the sparkling refused to bend his legs.

The black and white mech vented a sigh out of his intakes, as much as he didn't mind bathing the infant, he disliked it when the bitlet tensed any part of his frame, which was why it was much easier for Jazz to bath him as his spark-mate tended to use low level magnetic pulses that would weaken the delicate muscle cables in Bluestreak's legs. Prowl had to admit he was almost envious of his bonded's ability sometimes as the magnetics could be used in so many ways, most of which he had experienced in all the time he had been with the saboteur. The tactician shifted his grip down to the infant's calves and tilted him backwards so Bluestreak was lying horizontally in his arms, little sensory panels that had been fluttering were now trapped beneath the sparkling's weight, whilst baby blue optics glanced up at him.

"Stubborn just like your carrier." The Dodge Charger told his son as he shifted his hold so his hands were situated underneath the infant's shoulder joints and set him on his peds, diminutive hands immediately tried to grasp hold of the side of the tub and succeeded. However Prowl wasn't about to let him get away just yet, after all he hadn't cleaned his creation's back plates and sensory panels, he moved slightly so his back was almost resting against the side before planting one of his peds in the side of the tub testing his flexibility. The tactician knew that the positioning of his leg would prevent the infant from shuffling his way down to the other end of the bath, but it also would frustrate the sparkling since it would impede his movement. The Dodge Charger shook his head in amusement at the show of stubbornness and wilfulness emanating from the sparkling as Bluestreak tried to get past the obstacle in his way, small grunts and irritated twitters escaped the bitlet's vocaliser before he choose to drop to his knees and try and crawl under it.

_'Clever little glitch, just like your carrier.' _The black and white mech thought as he plucked the sparkling up from where he had become wedged under his leg and swiftly plonked the little one's aft on the bottom of the tub, Bluestreak immediately tried to get away as he voiced his disapproval loudly with clicks and warbles "A moment Blue then you can go." Prowl told his son as he firmly held onto the infant's middle whilst using one hand to try and clean the bitlet's back plates and sensory panels which refused to stop moving, the tactician vented a frustrated sigh as he quickly cleaned them as best as he could with one hand then let the sparkling go. Bluestreak chirped back at him before crawling down to the other end of the bath tub and planting his backside on the bottom before grabbing one of the other toys, the Dodge Charger shook his head in amusement his sparkling always knew what he wanted and Primus dam any bot who got in his way. With the infant now preoccupying himself for the moment, the black and white mech took that opportunity to attend to his own plating and wipe away the multiple coloured hand prints, he had some trouble getting to the ones on his lower door wings as Bluestreak had also used them to move from one piece of furniture to the next whilst his hands had been coated in paint. Prowl knew he wouldn't get every bit off his plating particularly on his door wings, and understood he would have to grab a shower before heading onto duty tomorrow, least he wanted to be reminded by his comrades that he had sparkling 'artwork' still on his armour plates.

The tactician glanced up when from the corner of his optics he saw the sparkling shiver and his sensory panels droop, the Dodge Charger immediately knew that it meant it was time to get out and get dried, not too mention that the infant gumming his fingers was a sure sign he was no doubt probably getting hungry too. So the black and white mech pushed himself up to stand and stepped over the rim and onto the towel he had placed down earlier, Prowl raised his external temperature slightly in order to evaporate most of the water droplets and to keep his creation warm until he could be dried. The tactician unfolded the towel set aside for Bluestreak before he plucked the noisily clicking sparkling out of the water, he set the protesting infant down on the blanket then quickly wrapped him up into a warm bundle. The bitlet warbled at his father as Prowl picked him up and settled him into the crook of his left elbow before he went about tidying up the wash rack, it was only when that task was done that the Dodge Charger proceeded out of the wash rack and towards Bluestreak's berth-room. Of course the sparkling wasn't going to make it easy for his sire the moment he was set down upon the mat on the floor, the little grey mechling immediately tried to roll over onto his front so he could crawl away. However his father simply rolled him back over and to prevent him from trying it again, Prowl gently gripped one of the bitlet's legs and began drying it. Bluestreak grunted in protest and began twittering in irritation at him.

"Let me dry you then you can go Blue." The tactician told his offspring as he placed the leg he had been drying and quickly gripped the other one before the infant realised it. Of course once that one was done, the Dodge Charger was going to have a hard time keeping the sparkling pinned down so he reached over into the basket set on the floor and rummaged around it. He located Bluestreak's favourite toy and gave it a shake above the partially twisted sparkling, the infant stopped his movements and rolled back over onto his back before reaching up to grasp the musical rattle. The black and white mech handed it over to him quickly and was some what relieved as the rattle proved to be an ideal distraction since the bitlet was no longer attempting to escape his clutches, even when he rolled him over onto his front so he could dry his backside, back plates and sensory panels. Prowl soon discovered that drying a perfectly still sparkling was much easier than a squirming one as he plucked a fully dry Bluestreak off the floor before making his way over to the sparkling's crib, he removed one of the blankets from the rail and easily wrapped it around his creation.

Bright baby blue optics focused upon the tactician as he finished wrapping the blanket around his creation, the sparkling clicked and chirped at him before hungry keening noises began to leave his vocaliser. The Dodge Charger wasted no time in stepping out of the infant's berth-room and over to the dispenser unit to mix up Bluestreak's formula, he began bouncing the sparkling in his arms as he waited for the special graded energon to warm up as the infant's hungry keening turned into distressed whimpers which were being muffled by the fingers Bluestreak had stuffed into his mouth.

"You'll have no fingers by the time your finished little one." The black and white mech rumbled to his offspring as he clicked the lid onto the sippy cup one before picking it up and giving it a quick shake. Once that was done he wasted no time in giving it to the sparkling who automatically reached for it and hungrily clamped onto the plastic spout, Prowl shook his head in amusement as he headed back to the infant's berth-room. The tactician stepped inside and made his way over to the singular chair that both he and Jazz had often used to rock Bluestreak into recharge when the bitlet was a few months old. The saboteur had fallen in love with the idea of a rocking chair after he had seen it whilst searching the internet, and had pleaded with Wheeljack to create one if he got the design specs. Of course the engineer wasn't one to deny his comrades anything, not too mention it had been something new for him to work on, so he had agreed to it and within a few days the bonded pair had the chair the Solstice had requested once the materials had become available. The Dodge Charger sat down in the chair and made himself comfortable whilst Bluestreak chirped and clicked at him round a mouthful of energon, the black and white mech gave his son a small smile as he gently brushed his thumb against the warm plating of the sparkling's chevron in a soothing gesture. The infant warbled tiredly at him as his optic shutters began to droop as recharge began to creep up on him, in fact it didn't take long at all before the bitlet dropped off to sleep as the day's activities finally caught up with him. Prowl placed the now empty sippy cup on the floor next to the chair before rearranging Bluestreak carefully so the sparkling was lying upon his chest plates, his little helm tucked into the front of his father's throat. The tactician began gently rubbing the infant's delicate back plates as he began rocking the chair, Bluestreak made a soft noise in his slumber before snuggling into warm chest plates a little more.

Which was how Jazz found them much later when he finally stepped into his shared quarters, he scrubbed a clawed hand over tired facial plates as he made his way over to his sparkling's berth-room with the intention to say goodnight to him despite the fact he would be in recharge before he retreated to his own berth for a good night's sleep. The saboteur stepped into the dimly lit room and glanced up only to stop in his stride at the sight before him, a smile crept up on his lip components when he saw his spark-mate slumped in a chair with their son resting upon white almost pristine chest plates. Bluestreak was deep in recharge, Prowl however was on the verge of dropping off if his dimly lit optics was anything to go by although they brightened the moment he spotted his bonded.

"Hey." The Solstice called out softly as he quietly made his way across.

"Hey." The tactician responded as he shifted ever so slightly to get a little more comfortable, although not too mention that it would disturb their slumbering sparkling.

"How'd bath-time go or dare I ask?" Jazz inquired with a small smile as he lightly traced the tips of his fingers over his sparkling's exposed cheek arch.

"Not as bad as I first predicted, but its clearly easier if you did it, I didn't realise just how stubborn he can be when he doesn't want to sit for long periods." The Dodge Charger responded.

The saboteur flexed his clawed fingers in front of him "The advantages of having magnetic capabilities love." The Solstice let his hands drop down into his lap when his gaze suddenly fixated upon a smudge of paint upon his spark-mate's bottom right door wing which had been a hand print "don't tell me ya let him have the paints?"

Prowl glanced at his mate sheepishly as he pushed himself out of the chair slowly as not to rouse the infant from his recharge "Believe me when I tell you he got most of it on himself and me rather than the furniture."

Jazz poked him in the side as he also stood "And you nag me about lettin' our bitlet get dirty."

"There's one difference between you and I love, and that is I keep Bluestreak's artwork to the paper rather than everything around him." The tactician said as he settled the sparkling in his crib and covered him up to his waist with his blanket, he stroked his thumb along the red plating of the infant's chevron before tracing it down and over the bitlet's cheek arch.

"That was one time besides Optimus wasn't all that bothered about being multi-coloured." The saboteur told him as he leant over the side of the crib and placed a soft kiss upon the crest of his son's helm. The Solstice straightened before glancing at his mate "c'mon you've still got a few paint splotches on ya." He intertwined his fingers with that of his mate's before he led the Dodge Charger out of Bluestreak's berth-room and toward their own. Once they had stepped inside Jazz pushed his mate into sitting down upon their berth before disappearing from the room again, he reappeared moments later with a small bowl and a cloth. The saboteur placed the bowl on the berth-side table then dipped the rag in the water and wrung it out before turning to his bonded.

Prowl gently gripped his wrist "You don't have to do this now."

The Solstice tugged his wrist free "Yea I do, that paint will flake then you'll ground it inta the berth and we'll have ta clean it in th' mornin' so I'd rather get it off ya now." The silver mech gripped the lower right door wing and began wiping away the paint.

"I now see where Blue gets his stubbornness from." The tactician said as his gaze fixated upon the wall opposite him, although his optics slid back to glance at his mate a few moments later.

Jazz glanced at him with an optic ridge quirked "I've seen how stubborn you can be Prowler." He let go of the right bottom door wing once he had finished cleaning it then scrutinised the other ones for any more hand prints or smudges upon the sensitive panels, he found a couple more and quickly proceeded to wipe them off. However just as he was about to remove the last one from the bottom of the left top wing extension (how Bluestreak had managed to reach that high in the first place was a mystery to him), the pair of them heard whimpers coming from their sparkling's room. It was nothing out of the ordinary and they knew he would settle in a few seconds, although after a few moments that didn't appear to be the case as the whimpers dissolved into soft cries.

"I'll get him love." The saboteur uttered as he dropped the rag in the bowl then made his way out of the room. The Dodge Charger watched him leave before he fluttered his door wings in order to get rid of the stiffness in the joints and the sudden increased sensitivity in the sensors lacing them, once the panels stopped twitching he pushed himself up onto his peds and picked up the bowl of water and carried it to the wash rack. After all he knew that if it was left there, there was every chance Jazz would knock it off during the night when he flailed in his recharge, not that the saboteur would admit to such thing but Prowl knew he did if all the vorns of being hit by a stray limb during recharge was anything to go by. The tactician deposited the bowl in the sink, deciding that he would empty the contents in the morning before making his way back into the living area, he was just about to head back to his berth-room when his audios heard his mate softly singing. A smile appeared upon his lip components as he made his way over to his son's bedroom and he peered in, his azure gaze immediately falling upon the form of his spark-mate as he lulled their creation back into recharge. It was a sight he never grew tired of seeing as he leant against the doorway and folded his arms across his chest plates, he off-lined his optics as he allowed his helm to rest against the door frame whilst he listened to the soft vocalisations leaving Jazz. They reminded him at that very moment, that there was nothing more precious in the world than the lives of his mate and child, and he would do everything in his power to ensure their safety.

_**A/N: **Another one down! Next up: Of Younglings and three little mechlets I promise! *prepares repellent for any stray bunny heading her way*_


	21. Of Younglings and Three Little Pigs

_**Title:** Of Younglings and Three little pigs_

_**Rating:** K+_

_**Universe:** G1 verse (AU)_

_**Characters: **Youngling Bluestreak, Prowl, Jazz and an ensemble of others_

_**Pairings: **ProwlxJazz_

_**Warnings:** fluff, use of profanities, humour_

_**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition, and the play is certainly not mine._

_**Summary:** Jazz discovers that Bluestreak is feeling a tad lonely so he decides the only way he can cheer his creation up is by putting on a play!_

_A request for **Leo Oneal**, hope you enjoy hun. This one is set in the G1 verse because there were a couple of characters I required for this one shot, but it still follows the same principles of Bluestreak being born on Earth. And ZOMG people, you are totally awesome! When I started these one shots I never imagined the response I'd get, so a big thank you to all of you!_

Bluestreak vented a deep sigh from his intakes as he picked at a lose thread hanging from a seam on his favourite teddy bear, the youngling had lost complete interest in playing with his toys a little over half of an hour ago and now found himself completely bored. It had been a few weeks since he had broached the subject with his parents about a brother or a sister so he could have someone to play with, however as far as he knew neither of his creators had attempted a 'special hug' as his sire had put it. The little grey mechlet was beginning to wonder whether they were truly going to try or maybe he was the only one they could have? Bluestreak sat up fully, another sigh escaping his intakes as he flexed his sensory panels to undo any kinks that had settled in the joints. The youngling had to admit he did enjoy interacting with his caretakers and his guardians, but to him it simply wasn't enough, not any more. The little grey mechlet was so preoccupied twiddling with the lose thread that he didn't register the presence of one of his parents until he felt the soft padding of his berth shift under his backside, he glanced up and met the visored face of his spark carrier.

"Hey baby what's up?" Jazz asked with concern written in the tone of his voice.

"I'm bored daddy." Bluestreak replied as he glanced down at the teddy bear in his lap "I've got no-one to play with."

"Blue I'm sure there's someone who will play with ya." The saboteur told him as he smoothed a hand over the top of his creation's helm.

"S'not what I meant." The youngling mumbled into his chest plates, his little sensory panels drooping until they were almost folded against his back "I want a brother or sister to play with."

"I know baby and ya will have one day soon." The saboteur told him, he could feel the little one's disappointment and loneliness through the bond and knew he had to do something to alleviate the situation at hand "actually you know what I have an idea." Bluestreak glanced at his daddy curiously "why don't we turn one of ya favourite books inta a play an' get th' others ta help us."

The youngling perked up at that idea "Can we do the three little pigs one pretty please daddy coz I like that one."

The black and white mech chuckled at the enthusiasm emanating from his son "I don't see why not an' I know just th' mech ta play th' big bad wolf, c'mon." The little grey mechlet wasted no time in scampering off the berth and rushing out of his room, he stood by the main doors bouncing on his peds as he waited for his carrier to catch him up. Jazz couldn't help but laugh at his creation's enthusiasm as they stepped out of quarters and headed in the direction of the recreation room, the saboteur listened intently to his son as the youngling pointed out who he thought would be the best to play the big bad wolf and the three little pigs. The pair of them entered the rec. room and Jazz quickly whispered something in Bluestreak's audio before he lightly shoved his creation in the direction of the twins who were currently sat on the couch watching TV, the youngling trotted around the side of the couch and glanced up at the pair. A sudden bout of uncharacteristic nervousness and shyness infused his little frame now that he was stood in front of Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, the little grey mechlet switched his gaze from his guardians to his daddy who was giving him a grin and a double thumbs up in encouragement before Bluestreak glanced at the twins again.

"Uncle Sunny." The youngling began in a quiet voice as he suddenly found his peds to be quite interesting "I was wonderin' ….."

"Wonderin' what?" The gold Lamborghini asked as he glanced down at the little grey mechlet, he frowned when he noticed how shy the youngling was acting when usually Bluestreak was quite outgoing around him and his brother "Blue?"

"I was wonderin' .. but you don't have to although daddy thinks you'll make a good big bad wolf for the play I want to do … and I want you to play that part because you're scary sometimes, so will you uncle Sunny?" Bluestreak finally asked after his long winded explanation.

"Did he just say ….?" Sunstreaker began to ask as he tried to process exactly what the youngling was asking of him. It dawned on Sideswipe much quicker than his brother and he immediately began laughing so hard his vents began rattling and he fell out of the couch amidst his mirth. Sunstreaker glared at his twin and he would have clipped the red Lamborghini around the back of the helm for good measure, but refrained from doing so whilst he had one youngling looking up at him with imploring optics and Jazz stood not far away.

"Pretty please uncle Sunny please." Bluestreak pleaded as he gave the gold Lamborghini the kicked turbo-puppy look.

The front-liner glanced over his shoulder and glared at the saboteur who was currently leaning against the door frame with his arms folded across his chest plates, Sunstreaker knew exactly who to blame for this and was about to open his mouth plates and say no (after all there was no way that he was going to tarnish his bad ass reputation as one of the Autobot's best front-liner's, Sideswipe being the other one of course. Not too mention there was no way he was going to let anyone ruin his paint job either), but he quickly shut them again when he saw the adorable pouting facial plates of his charge.

"Go on Sunny you know you want too." Sideswipe sing songed with a wide grin on his lip components as he pushed himself up from the floor.

The gold Lamborghini vented an irritated sigh from his intakes "Alright I'll do it." He mumbled into his chest plates as he slouched in his seat and folded his arms across his chest plates, the very image of a sulking youngling.

"Awesome! Thank you uncle Sunny!" The youngling cried as he wrapped himself around his guardian's legs in the biggest hug he could muster before he trotted off back to his carrier, Jazz was looking decidedly smug at the turn of events, after all no-one could say no to his creation including the infamous Lamborghini twins.

With a grin on his facial plates, the head of special ops glanced down at his creation "C'mon Blue we've got work to do." The little grey mechlet grabbed his daddy's offered hand before the pair of them left the rec. room.

Sideswipe watched the pair of them leave the room before he turned to glance at his brother, he couldn't help the wide grin appearing upon his lip components at the thought of his twin playing the 'big, bad wolf' in the proposed play. It was definitely an opportunity for him to gain brilliant blackmailing material for future purposes, but right now he decided to settle for grinning like a loon and teasing his twin about his upcoming role.

**A few days later . . . .**

Over the last few days, the Ark had been bustling with activity since Optimus had given permission for the play Jazz had proposed, although a few of the bots suspected that the saboteur had set Bluestreak on their leader, but most knew that not even the great Optimus Prime could say no to the small, grey, hyperactive bundle of parts. Heck even the 'sparkless' of the Autobots found it hard to resist the youngling when he gave them the adorable kicked turbo-puppy look, an expression they all knew the little grey mechlet had inherited from a certain head of special ops. So with the play approved by their leader, the Autobots of the Arks were busy brushing up on the story so they were at least familiar with it, not too mention there were characters that needed to be chosen from amongst the crew, although there was speculation as to who the 'bid bad wolf' was since Jazz didn't appear to be asking any of the bots. However some of the mechs were beginning to grow suspicious of Sideswipe since the Lamborghini was constantly grinning like a maniac which either meant he was up to no good and the good atmosphere of the base was about to be spoiled by one of his pranks, or the front-liner knew something they were not aware of, so a few of the bots became particularly paranoid especially Red Alert as they waited for whatever mischief Sideswipe was going to drop on an unsuspecting member of the crew.

With that aside most of the Autobots were focusing their efforts, between duty shifts, upon helping in organising, gathering materials (a task Carly and a somewhat reluctant Spike had happily volunteered to do) to create the scenery, although much of it was going to be holographic (courtesy of Hound), and getting the chosen Autobots to practise their lines. However Cliffjumper was certainly vocal about having to participate in a child's play until Brawn threatened to silence him with his fists, which probably would have ended in a fist fight if it hadn't been for Bluestreak telling the pair of them off. Jazz couldn't help but laugh at the sight of his creation admonishing the two minibots for their behaviour, the youngling reminded him so much of the mechlet's father with the frown upon his facial plates and the way his sensory panels would arch up into the 'I'm annoyed at you' V position. Even Smokescreen had commented on how much Bluestreak resembled Prowl, although there were certain quirks that the youngling had which had come from the saboteur.

So with preparations for the play under way and the Decepticons remaining quiet for the time being, the days passed quickly and soon the day that had been selected particularly to show the play had arrived. Of course with the day finally arriving a certain youngling was more than excited, in fact he had trouble recharging that night and patiently waited in his room until he heard the alarm go off in his parents berth-room. He bolted from his own, raced across the living space, into his parents room and pounced upon his barely on-line creators. Jazz grunted when Bluestreak in his enthusiasm jumped on him before the youngling sprung on Prowl, shouting that it was time for the both of them to get up. The tactician grumbled something about wanting another five minutes sleep much to the amusement of the saboteur and the disgruntlement of his son, Jazz knew that despite his mate being prim and proper ninety nine percent of the time, that the larger black and white mech in fact hated early morning starts especially when one little grey mechlet didn't give him the chance to wake up on his own terms. However after a few moments and a couple of abused limbs and armour plates, Jazz managed to curb Bluestreak's enthusiasm enough to cajole the youngling into the wash rack to get clean before he could have his morning energon, the saboteur could only shake his head in amusement as the little grey mechlet nearly neglected his substanence as he spoke excitedly about the play. Then once Bluestreak had finished his ration and both of his parents had the chance to clean up and have their own allotment of energon, the youngling dragged his spark carrier out of their quarters, although he nearly forgot to say goodbye to his father in the process before they headed down to the recreation room where the last of the preparations were under way.

Finally the afternoon rolled in and both Autobots and humans alike began arriving, many were awed by how the rec. room had been dressed for the occasion with painted back drops and a stage that was both large and long enough for the actors to move about freely. Bluestreak began bouncing in his seat next to his father as he watched the last of his caretakers arrive, a few of the Autobots were to remain unfortunately on duty in order to keep watch for any kind of Decepticon activity, however that didn't mean they had to miss out as a live transmission feed was set up much to the protest of Red Alert. The youngling glanced up at his sire who gave him a small smile before the little grey mechlet transferred his gaze to where the stage was set to see his spark carrier talking with Optimus, Bluestreak knew the large red and blue mech would be introducing his play but not narrating it. No that was a task only suited for his daddy since the youngling knew his carrier was possibly the only dramatic mech he knew of, although there had been times when his father, Optimus, Ironhide even Ratchet had made him laugh himself silly.

The Autobot leader made his way to the front centre of the stage before scanning the crowd sat before him, his gaze momentarily fell upon one youngling who looked ready to burst from the excitement contained in his little frame. The Prime chuckled before drawing himself up straight and meeting the gazes of his fellow Autobots "Well shall we get under way now that everyone has arrived." Every mech in the room went quiet the moment their leader began talking "I want to welcome everyone to the first Autobot play that I believe most of you know was requested by our youngest family member who felt we all deserved a much needed break and a little bit of fun." A few gazes swept over to the suddenly shy Bluestreak before glancing back at their commander "so without further a due let the play begin." There was a round of clapping before it went quiet a few moments later. After Optimus had introduced the play then sat down with the others, the other Autobots and the humans glanced toward the stage where Jazz was sat upon one of the corners with his usual air of confidence surrounding him. The saboteur made a small noise similar to a human clearing their throat before giving his audience one of his usual causal grins.

"Once upon a time there was a mother pig who had three little pigs." He began as he glanced toward where one of the screens had been appropriately placed to hide the actors from view, he gestured with a slight nod of his head and Bumblebee stepped out closely followed by Windcharger(they didn't dare ask Gears and Brawn didn't quite fit the role). There were a few chuckles from the audience when they saw that the two minibots had been given piggy ears, noses and tails and had also been painted a fleshy pink. However they appeared to be one short until Cliffjumper was shoved none too gently out from behind the screen, the minibots threw a glare over his shoulder before trudging reluctantly across the stage and standing beside his fellow minibots. Jazz shook his head in amusement but none the less continued "the three little pigs grew so big that their mother said to them; 'you are too big to live here any longer, you must go and build houses for yourselves but take care that the wolf does not catch you, the three little pigs set off."

"We will take care that the wolf does not catch us." The three minibots said in unison.

The 3IC nodded slightly with a smile, pleased that they had remembered when to step in with their first line "Soon they met a man who was carrying some straw." Onto the stage stepped Sideswipe in all his grinning glory, he had been completely decked out for the occasion with a straw mat sitting onto of his helm and a satchel upon his back.

"Don't do it man, he's a fraud!" Someone shouted from the audience which had everyone chuckling as the red Lamborghini made his way over to the three minibots.

Windcharger stepped forward and glanced up at the front-liner "Please will you give me some straw? I want to build a house for myself."

Sideswipe grinned as he handed the minibot the satchel upon his back "Yea sure."

Jazz glanced over briefly to where Bluestreak was sat to see the youngling smiling and chatting to his father before the saboteur transferred his gaze to the stage "Then the first little pig built himself a house of straw, he was very pleased with his house."

Windcharger admired his 'work' that had created through the use of Hound's holo-technology "Now the wolf won't catch me and eat me."

Cliffjumper made his way over and scrutinised the straw house "I shall build a stronger house than yours."

Bumblebee then bounced across to his fellow minibots "I shall build a stronger house than yours, too."

"The second little pig and the third little pig went on along the road, soon they met a man who was carrying some sticks." The saboteur said, again Sideswipe appeared upon stage carrying another satchel filled with sticks that had no doubt been gathered outside of the Ark.

Cliffjumper made his way over to the grinning red Lamborghini who was 'whistling', although the minibot still didn't seem all that enthusiastic about being involved in the play "Please will you give me some sticks ? I want to build a house for myself."

"Certainly making a business today." The front-liner responded as he handed over the second satchel before retreating once again from the stage, Jazz shook his head in amusement, trust Sideswipe to change the words.

"Then the second little pig built himself a house of sticks, it was stronger than the house of straw, the second little pig was very pleased with his house. He said ..." Jazz continued although he left the ending open.

"Now the wolf won't catch me and eat me." Cliffjumper muttered.

Bumblebee appeared at his side as he scrutinised the other mech's 'handiwork' "I shall build a stronger house than yours."

"The third little pig walked on, along the road by himself. Soon he met a man carrying some bricks."

There was no prompting as Sideswipe once again stepped on the stage but this time with a transformer sized wheelbarrow, Jazz glanced over to his mate and hoped that Prowl wouldn't contemplate the though of how the red Lamborghini had managed to acquire such an item.

"Please will you give me some bricks? I want to build a house for myself." Bumblebee asked as he made his way over to the front-liner.

"Best buy on the market." Sideswipe replied, once again changing his line before he set the wheelbarrow down then sauntered off the stage.

The saboteur had to shake his head in amusement as he knew the red Lamborghini's giddiness was a result of the part his twin had yet to play "Then the third little pig built himself a house of bricks, it took him a long time to build it, for it was a very strong house. The third little pig was very pleased with his house. He said ..."

"Now the wolf won't catch me and eat me." The little yellow scout said as he scrutinised his 'handiwork'.

The 3IC couldn't help but grin as he quickly scanned the next line "The next day the wolf came along the road." There were wolf whistles and chuckling as Sunstreaker was lightly shoved out from behind the screen and onto the stage, the gold Lamborghini had been given a pair of wolf ears, a nose and a long fluffy tail that sprouted from the top of his aft.

"Looking good uncle Sunny!" Bluestreak shouted at the top of his voice which had each of his caretakers laughing, the front-liner shot the youngling a playful glare before he snuck up to the holographic house.

Jazz quickly reined in his laughing so he could continue "He came to the house of straw which the first little pig had built. When the first little pig saw the wolf coming, he ran inside his house and shut the door. The wolf knocked on the door and said ..."

There was a brief pause before Sunstreaker gathered the courage he usually reserved for battle and straightened "Little pig, little pig, let me come in."

"No, no." Windcharger responded "by the hair of my chinny chin chin, I will not let you come in."

"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in." The gold Lamborghini responded as he settled into an offensive position as he prepared himself to 'blow down the house'.

"So he huffed and he puffed and he huffed and he puffed. The house of straw fell down and the wolf ate up the first little pig." The 3IC said as he watched Sunstreaker chase the minibot off the stage and behind the screen before there was a loud crunch and a 'mmmmm tasty'. Many of the Autobots glanced at Bluestreak at the sounds, but the youngling didn't appear to be fazed by them in the slightest. In fact if anything he appeared transfixed upon what was going on, and his caretakers knew that if the little grey mechlet's attention was fixed on something that it usually meant he was taking it all in, but more importantly enjoying himself.

"The next day the wolf walked further along the road. He came to the house of sticks which the second little pig had built." The saboteur glanced across to see Sunstreaker stepping back onto the stage with a new air of confidence surrounding him which only ever occurred when the gold Lamborghini was flaunting his paintwork or his alt. mode to human car enthusiasts "when the second little pig saw the wolf coming, he ran inside his house and shut the door. The wolf knocked on the door and said ..." The 3IC continued before trailing off allowing the front-liner to say his line.

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in." Sunstreaker announced as he stood beside the holographic stick house.

"No, no," Cliffjumper said, sounding a little more involved in the play "by the hair of my chinny chin chin, I will not let you come in."

"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in." The gold front-liner responded as he crouched once again.

"So he huffed and he puffed and he huffed and he puffed, the house of sticks fell down and the wolf ate up the second little pig." Once again Sunstreaker chased the next minibot off the stage before 'gobbling him up' behind the screen. Jazz was glad to see that everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves including those who had been reluctant to get involved in the first place "the next day the wolf walked further along the road. He came to the house of bricks which the third little pig had built. When the third little pig saw the wolf coming, he ran inside his house and shut the door. The wolf knocked on the door and said..."

Sunstreaker needed no prompting for his line that he knew was going to stick with him for an unknown period of time "Little pig, little pig, let me come in."

"No, no." Bumblebee said "by the hair of my chinny chin chin, I will not let you come in."

"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in." The gold Lamborghini responded.

"So he huffed and he puffed and he huffed and he puffed. But the house of bricks did not fall down." The saboteur said before continuing to read the rest of the story whilst Sunstreaker and Bumblebee continued to act out their parts with the same finesse that they exhibited when dealing with their normal daily routines, it was probably the only time that the twins would interact with their much smaller comrades. But more importantly had pushed aside their differences for the sake of one youngling who was thoroughly enjoying himself if the giggling and the excited babbling was anything to go by. Jazz understood that although the play served to distract Bluestreak for a few days since he knew the youngling wouldn't stop talking about it after today, the little grey mechlet would be back to brooding over the thought that he had no siblings to associate with. The saboteur grinned as the rest of the play was acted out, everyone appeared to have thoroughly enjoyed themselves with the acting, the thought that had gone into the scenery and the choice of characters, although Jazz knew Sunstreaker would be referred to the 'big, bad wolf' for quite some time which would probably cause some infighting.

It wasn't long before the saboteur spoke the words 'The end' to the play and the other Autobots gave a standing ovation as the 'characters' appeared upon the stage, Bluestreak who was more than elated left his seat and ran toward his guardians and caretakers that had participated. The youngling had the biggest grin upon his facial plates as he bounced upon his pedes in front of the small group of mechs, Sideswipe sprung off the stage and swooped the little grey mechlet off his peds and threw him into the air.

"Did you have fun Blue?" The red Lamborghini asked as he settled Bluestreak on his left hip.

"I did, it was totally awesome! And uncle Sunny was so cool!" The youngling responded ecstatically, his little sensory panels fluttering upon his back "can you do it again Sunny, pretty please."

Sunstreaker gave a huff of his vents and everyone knew that if those ears had actually been attached to the front-liner's helm, they would have flattened against his head "Alright but only for you Blue." He muttered, he drew himself before slipping back into the role he had played earlier "Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in." Bluestreak instantly began giggling and nearly upset his position upon Sideswipe's hip, the rest of the room began chuckling along with the youngling after Sunstreaker repeated his now infamous line as Ratchet made his way over to the exuberant youngling's parents.

"So when do you plan on telling him?" The CMO asked in a low whisper as his gaze fell on Bluestreak as the youngling goaded his 'big bad wolf' guardian into chasing and catching him, whilst the other Autobots tried to prevent the gold Lamborghini from 'capturing' their charge and 'gobbling him up'.

Jazz glanced at the medic "Not yet, we'll let th' novelty of his play wear off first 'fore we tell him he has a siblin' on th' way."

"Siblings Jazz." Prowl corrected his mate as he watched Bluestreak skilfully evade Sunstreaker by sliding through Ironhide's legs. The tactician was still having trouble comprehending the fact that he and his bonded were going to have twins, although the larger black and white suspected it was some form of divine retribution for all the times he had lectured Sunstreaker and Sideswipe for their misdeeds.

"And you know this won't be the only play Bluestreak will want to do right." Ratchet told them.

"Yes we're fully aware, in fact I'm not looking forward to the moment when he asks that we act out 'Sleeping Beauty'." The tactician replied, his door wings drooping slightly at the thought.

The saboteur chuckled as he glanced at his bonded "Why? I can just imagine ya as Princess Aurora an' I can be ya Prince Charmin'."

"His name was Philip Jazz not Charming, wrong Disney film." Prowl stated as he scowled lightly at his spark-mate "and there is no way you'll get me anywhere near female attire so nice try love." The tactician left his bond-mate's side to go and 'rescue' their creation from the twin's clutches, unaware of his bonded's plotting.

"Wipe that dam smirk off your face Jazz, its enough to traumatise a mech." The CMO snapped good naturedly at the saboteur.

The head of special ops pouted "Ruin ma fun Ratch."

Ratchet shook his head in amusement as he watched Jazz make his way over to the group. If there was one thing he was certain about, life inside the Ark never had a dull moment particularly when it came to a pair of black and white's and now their creation, and he knew that it was only going to become even more interesting once the new twins entered the world.

**Nemesis . . . .**

Swindle was positively gleeful after receiving the footage from the Ark, he had surveyed it over and over again just to laugh himself stupid, although his fellow Combaticons were none too pleased about listening to him cackling to himself during the middle of the night cycle. But he couldn't help it, the footage that he had been given courtesy of a certain red Lamborghini who use to be one of his business partners, showed a particular gold front-liner in a completely different light. Normally Sunstreaker was the feared, 'would disembowel you without a second thought' mech until now that his warrior image had been destroyed by a mere younglings play, Swindle knew he could never face the front-liner again without picturing him as the 'big, bad wolf' and escape unharmed particularly if one happened to mention such theatrical event.

"Swindle I don't suppose you'd like to share with the rest of us in regards to what you find so funny?" Starscream inquired, his high pitched voice cutting through the Jeep's thoughts like claws ripping through a sheet of metal plating. Swindle turned to glance over his shoulder and made a small noise that sounded like a squishy clearing their throat, there was no way he was going to end up on Starscream's bad side, not after the 2IC had received a trouncing fro Megatron that morning over an act of insubordination.

"Nothing." The Jeep muttered.

The Aerial Commander sauntered over to the Combaticon's post "Come now it had be something of amusement in order to distract you from your duties."

The Jeep was clearly aware of the other Decepticons glancing in his direction and knew he had no choice but to show the rest of them what he found so funny, cringing slightly as he activated his personal files. Immediately the command centre was filled with the distinct voice of the Autobot Commander Optimus Prime introducing some kind of theatrical scenario, before he was followed by the distinct drawl of a particular thorn in the Decepticons side aka Jazz. There was silence amongst those on duty until a certain gold Lamborghini appeared upon the screen with organic attachments upon different areas of his frame.

"What the fr..?" Skywarp began to say only to have one of the others silence him with a glare. The Decepticons on duty were so preoccupied that none of them registered Megatron's presence on the bridge, the large grey mech frowned when he saw all of his subordinates crowded around one of the monitors, chuckles escaping their vocalisers every now again. However his frown only deepened when he overheard some of the familiar voices of the Autobots.

"Anyone care to explain what's going on?" The Decepticon leader asked as he stood in the centre of the room, one of his subordinates even had the audacity to shush him. Irritated if not somewhat intrigued, Megatron made his way over and peered over the shoulders of his soldiers. What created his optical sensors was some kind of scenario being played out by the Autobots, he glanced down at the time stamp on the bottom of the screen which showed that it had been recorded but an Earth day ago. Another frown appeared upon the Decepticon leader's facial plates as he didn't recall ordering Soundwave or his cassettes to do any sort of reconnaissance, which begged the question of how his subordinates had come by this video recording? However questions could be asked later as for now, he was more focused upon the Autobots ruining their reputation as worthy combatants upon the battlefield (especially one gold front-liner in particular) with a play meant to entertain human and now Cybertronian younglings.

**A/N:**_Another one down and do you know how long that took me to write? *faints* For the version of the three little pigs I used this link _/~ And I don't think I need to tell you who the new twins are. N_ext one up: Of Sparklings and Combiner teams! _


	22. Of Sparklings and Fliers

_**Title:** Of Sparklings and Aerialbots_

_**Rating:** K+_

_**Universe:** G1 verse (AU)_

_**Characters: **Sparkling Bluestreak, Prowl, Jazz, the Aerialbots and ensemble_

_**Pairings: **ProwlxJazz_

_**Warnings:** fluff, use of profanities, humour_

_**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition_

_**Summary: **The Autobots two combiner teams are given the task of watching over a certain sparkling, but as always not everything will go to plan_

_Request for **Mozenrathluvr** hope you enjoy hun! Apologies in advance though if they do appear OC despite my little bit of research into their personalities. I was also originally going to put the two teams together, but decided against it so now there will be two one shots rather than one._

_**:** Concorde – Silverbolt, AV 8B Harrier – Slingshot, F15 Eagle – Air Raid, F4 Phantom – Fireflight, F16 Falcon – Skydive._

Silverbolt knew there were only two reasons why he would be called to Prowl's office. One; the second in command wanted to go over either aerial surveillance or inform him that he was sending them out on a reconnaissance mission, or two; to discuss punishment that would be suitable for the troublemakers aka Slingshot and Air Raid. The pair of them had been causing a lot of trouble recently with the increase in pranks, not too mention that the troublesome duo were near constantly brawling with the Protectobot Blades and landing themselves in Ratchet's 'good graces'. The Concorde vented a heavy sigh, both he and Hot Spot would often spend time discussing different tactics in order to get their reluctant teams to work together, but everything short of welding them together wasn't working, and both Hot Spot and Silverbolt were beginning to wonder what punishment the Autobots 2IC could possible give them to teach the miscreants a lesson.

He arrived at Prowl's office and palmed the pad on the wall , he heard a faint 'come in' from the other side before he stepped inside. As per usual the military strategist was sat behind his desk with a data-pad in one hand and a stylus in the other, however what he hadn't counted on was seeing Jazz there. The saboteur was perched upon the edge of the desk close to his spark-mate's left arm, his back facing away from the Aerialbot leader. He briefly wondered if he had interrupted something between the two officers, but Silverbolt suspected that the reason the 3IC was there was due to the misjudged punch he got from Slingshot when he tried to break up the fight between the two Aerialbots and the Protectobot. The Concorde cringed internally at that, it was bad enough hitting ones comrade but to hit a superior officer whether accidentally or not, was an instant punishment of brig time and a possible court martial. Silverbolt just hoped that the laid back, easy going Jazz didn't hold grudges or his team was going to run into a spot of trouble.

"You wanted to see me sir?" The Concorde inquired as he glanced from the special ops officer who hadn't even budged an inch, to the tactician who hadn't even looked up to meet his gaze; the typical 'I'll deal with you when I'm ready' behaviour. The Aerialbot leader shuffled nervously a little while longer before Prowl finally put down the report he had been reading and glanced up to meet the azure gaze that was focused upon the wall behind his helm.

"I believe you are aware of the reason why I asked you to be here." The tactician said as he sat back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest plates.

"Yes sir." Silverbolt responded, he didn't meet the stoic expression that was currently upon the 2IC's facial plates nor the neutral look upon the head of special ops, in fact it was probably the only time he had seen Jazz so serious.

"It has come to my attention that the normal punishment methods don't appear to be working in terms of keeping certain members of your team in line, not too mention the more recent incident of an officer being assaulted whilst trying to break up a petty fight between the troublemakers." Prowl told them as he regarded him closely.

Silverbolt visible winced, so Jazz was holding a grudge against the punch that had been thrown in his direction, that meant both Blades (as the Protectobot had instigated the fight) and Slingshot (who had actually thrown the punch) were going to end up in the brig serving a thirty day brig sentence. After all they couldn't afford either of the two mechs to serve a stricter sentence due to the fact that they were both an integral parts of a combiner team.

Prowl leant back in his seat regarding the Aerialbot leader coolly "Jazz has informed me that he will drop the charges of insubordination on the conditions that you can prove your team can be reasonably mature and responsible for their actions."

"A training exercise sir?" The Concorde inquired as he met the 2IC's gaze.

A smirk quirked one corner of Prowl's lip components "No actually, Jazz and I were thinking more along the lines of a delicate nature." Silverbolt allowed a confused expression to upon appear upon his facial plates when he noticed that the tactician suddenly appeared some what amused, Silverbolt knew that whatever the second and third in commands had planned wasn't going to end well.

"What did you have in mind sir?" Silverbolt asked steeling himself for the not-punishment that was about to be handed out.

Prowl glanced at his spark-mate who now had the smallest hints of a smirk upon his facial plates, then he looked back at the Concorde "We would like your team to watch over Bluestreak for the duration of the day."

Silverbolt couldn't help but look surprised at that "Sir is it really necessary to have five mechs look after one infant, it seems like … overkill?" He had overheard that the two black and white's creation was becoming far more of a handful now that he was much more mobile, and required the attention of two mechs rather than one. But getting five mechs to sparkling sit one tiny Cybertronian just seemed .. outrageous, although when he truly thought about it, he knew there was a likely chance that neither Slingshot or Air Raid would participate in looking after Bluestreak even if they were ordered too.

Jazz chuckled "Believe me mech you're gonna the five of ya ta keep an optic on him, little glitch has become a lot better at being sneaky since he learnt that he can use th' furniture ta move around."

"Yes it was surprising to find him in the one place where we should have looked first." The tactician retorted lightly as he gave his spark-mate a side long glance.

The saboteur shot him a light glare in return "Did ya expect our bitlet ta be curled up under his berth of all places?"

"No I didn't." The larger of the two black and whites responded as he regarded his mate "a quirk I believe he inherited from you."

Jazz grinned "What can I say, I just like ta make it difficult fer mechs ta locate me when I don't wanna be found."

"Hmm." Prowl hummed as he gave the saboteur a slight smile before he turned his helm to glance at Silverbolt fully, he noticed that the Aerialbot appeared somewhat uncomfortable. After all not many were privileged to see the interaction between the two black and whites, unless one happened to unfortunately walk in on one of their arguments or worse; one of their intimate moments "report here tomorrow at oh eight hundred hours, you're dismissed." The Aerialbot threw him a quick salute and a 'Yes Sir' before he abruptly turned and strode out of the office. The tactician watched him leave then glanced up at his spark-mate, only for him to frown when he saw somewhat troubled look upon his facial plates.

"Jazz what's wrong?" The 2IC inquired.

"It's just that … I've got a really bad vibe about this that's all." The smaller black and white responded.

"It'll just be like all the other times we've left him with his caretakers." Prowl told his bonded as he stood and gently gripped one of Jazz's forearms.

The saboteur vented a heavy sigh "I know but .. its just the Aerialbots love, I mean I trust Silverbolt explicitly in not lettin' anythin' happen ta Blue, but th' others …."

The tactician chuckled as he shifted his grip so his hand was now cupping one side of his mate's helm "Let's put it this way, should anything happen to our son I'm sure Ratchet wouldn't mind a few more victims to add to his daily 'wrench meeting helm' quota, and I for one would definitely like to fill my quota of sending mechs to the brig as both Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are being too quiet as of late."

"Well ya know what that means love, Sides probably got a spectacular prank brewin' an' Sunny's still feeling content after beatin' Skywarp within an inch of his existence the other day." Jazz told him as he slid off the edge of the desk to stand.

"More than likely." Prowl responded as he gently gripped one of the saboteur's arms and steered him toward the doors.

"Ya know I never mentioned anythin' about a court marital despite that punch bein' thrown at me." The smaller black and white said as he turned to face his mate briefly.

The tactician smirked "I know but I like to think that its likely to compel good behaviour if one knows what they could face if they aren't kept in line." Jazz shook his head in amusement at that "now out I have work to do and I know for sure that you do too."

"Alright, alright I'm goin', now I know where Blue gets his bossiness from." The saboteur grumbled as he palmed the pad on the wall and the doors slid open with a hiss, he gave his mate one final grin before stepping out of the office and into the corridor. The tactician watched him leave before turning back to his desk and the reports awaiting him there, he just hoped that he had made the right decision about choosing the Aerialbots for Bluestreak's caretakers for the day, and that they didn't validate Jazz's concern that maybe they weren't responsible enough (excluding Silverbolt and of course possibly Skydive). Either way he would find out at the end of the following day when their son was returned to them.

**The Following Day ….**

Slingshot was bored, in fact he was so bored that he was beginning to wonder if it was possible to go off-line from idleness. He glanced around their small recreation room to see Skydive fully engrossed in one of his books, Fire Flight was attached to the TV screen watching the different aerial displays and no doubt recording them to memory so he could try them out once they were no longer grounded. Air raid was currently playing upon a hand held game console he had snagged from the main recreation room in the base a few days ago, and as of their leader Silverbolt? Only Primus himself knew where he was after he had led them there and told them to remain put least they wanted to go to the brig. Slingshot frowned at that, it seemed unfair that he and his fellow fliers were cooped up whilst the Protectobots were allowed to leave their hangar. After all it had been that two bit fragger Blades who had started the whole fiasco a couple of days ago, however he knew the real reason why he had been grounded and subsequently his team as well, was due to the deep slag he might have possibly landed himself in. The Harrier understood that his miscalculated punch that had hit Jazz instead of Blades, and his several circumventions of the orders being given were enough to land him with a court marital, a thirty day stint in solitary and the possible charge of being grounded … permanently. Slingshot cringed inwardly at that thought, he refused to become one of the ground bound mechs that were on board the Ark so he decided that he would take whatever punishment that was thrown at him.

_'Well except that!' _He exclaimed internally when his gaze fell upon the doors as they slid open to permit access to his leader, and subsequently the small grey bundle of hyperactive parts who was currently cuddled up against their leader's chassis.

Fireflight was the first up on his peds when he spotted the little bundle in the Concorde's arms, he rushed across with barely restrained excitement before performing a spectacular face plant when he tripped over his own feet in his enthusiasm. A bemused warble escaped the sparkling at the sight of the Aerialbot making a fool of himself.

"What the frag?" Air Raid demanded as he dropped the game console he had been using, he stared at the loudly clicking and chirping infant who was preoccupied with glancing around the hangar, curiosity clearly written upon his facial plates.

"Remember 'Raid no cursing in front of lil Blue." Fireflight happily informed his team-mate, the F15 Eagle grumbled something under his breath as he picked up the hand held console and returned to his game.

"But seriously what the hell? We're Aerialbots not sparkling sitters." The Harrier muttered as he slumped in his seat and folded his arms across his chest.

"As Autobots we have a duty to participate in the care taking of the only resident sparkling." Silverbolt told Slingshot as he made his way across to the centre of the room with Fireflight close behind him, he gently deposited Bluestreak down upon his backside then watched as the infant shuffled onto his hands and knees then crawled over to the nearest piece of furniture "and if you don't want Ratchet to reformat you into a ground bound ..." He aimed those words towards Slingshot and Air Raid "... you need to prove to Prowl that you can be mature and responsible for your actions."

"By looking after Bluestreak?" The Harrier inquired as he scooted back further onto the couch he was sat on so he was out of reach of the bitlet who was using the said furniture to pull himself up with and keep him balanced. The sparkling shuffled along the edge until he reached the end of the couch and attempted to reach for anything else to aid him in his venture around the new terrain, the infant twittered on frustration when he couldn't grab a hold of anything was steadily losing his temper.

Hearing Bluestreak's distressed whimpers, Skydive put down the data-pad he had been reading and made his way across " Primus Slingshot lend him a servo, he's not cosmic rust nor is he gonna bite." The F16 Eagle grumbled at his wing-mate as he leant over the infant and slipped both of his index fingers into Bluestreak's diminutive hands, he then led him across the open floor to where Silverbolt and Fireflight were placing some toys down on the floor.

"Oooo look Blue paint." Fireflight told the sparkling as he plucked a couple of poster paint tubs out of the carry bag that accompanied Bluestreak everywhere he went.

Silverbolt glanced up from what he had been doing to see his fellow Aerialbot presenting the tubs to the infant, he quickly snagged them out of his fingers "I for one don't want to be used as a painting canvas as Jazz happily informed me that Bluestreak likes to decorate things other than paper."

"Oh whoops." The F4 Phantom replied as he quickly hid the others from view, although he figured that the bitlet could just be just as sneaky as his carrier and would end up getting the paint pots out anyway. Fireflight just hoped the second and third in commands saw sense in making sure the lids were sparkling proof, or the furniture, the floors, the walls and them were going to end up with a new colour scheme. Bluestreak plopped down onto his backside and instantly reached out to grab a stuffed toy, his clicking and chirping never stopped even when the head of the toy unfortunately greeted the sparkling's denta plates.

"Can see why they decided to call him Bluestreak, he doesn't stop does he?" Fireflight said as he leant over and gently peeled the toy's head away from the bitlet's mouth plates. The sparkling warbled at him questioningly, his head cocked to the side slightly and his stubby sensory panels waving back and forth "I don't want you to choke on it."

"He can't understand you 'Flight so I don't know why you bother." Slingshot told his wing-mate.

The F4 Phantom glared in his direction "So? At least I'm doing what we're supposed to be doing; looking after him."

The Harrier was about to retort back but the Concorde beat him to it "Don't even think it." He growled at Slingshot "and Fireflight is right both you and Air Raid ..." Silverbolt glanced in the direction of the F15 Eagle "... are supposed to be proving that you can be responsible and mature."

"So you keep saying." Slingshot groused as he slouched in the couch with his arms folded across his chest "but I don't see Skydive getting off his skid-plate to help."

The F16 Eagle didn't didn't even look up to glance at the Harrier "I have nothing to prove and I've already done a lot more than you."

"What? Moved the bitlet from the couch to the floor? Any bot thought you had taken on the whole Decepticon army." Slingshot snapped sarcastically as he sat forward and glared at his wing-mate, ignoring how Bluestreak's entire frame slumped and his stubby sensory panels drooped until they were almost flat against his back.

Fireflight glanced at Silverbolt in worry and concern when the infant's bottom lip began to tremble once his noisy vocalisations stopped. The Aerialbot leader cocked his head to the side in an imitation of a human rolling their eyes as he pushed himself up onto his peds, he plucked a quietly whimpering Bluestreak off the play mat and clutched him close as he made his way over to his arguing team-mates.

"That's enough, I don't want to hear another peep out of any of you." The normally calm Aerialbot leader scolded Slingshot, Skydive and Air Raid "now I suggest you apologise to Blue." The three previously arguing fliers glanced at one another trading glares at one another before the F16 Falcon spoke up:

"Sorry Bluestreak." It took a pointed look from Silverbolt to get Air Raid and Slingshot to swallow their prides and apologise, then he made his way back to the play mat after soothing Bluestreak's distress before he set the infant back down on the floor.

The rest of the morning went off without a hitch after Silverbolt admonished Slingshot, Skydive and Air Raid for their behaviour, after all the rule was quite clear that under no circumstances was anyone allowed to argue in front of the sparkling due to his sensitive nature. Bluestreak was kept thoroughly amused by Fireflight's antics before he went off exploring again around the room. Both Silverbolt and the F4 Phantom had to keep tabs on him as the sparkling crawled across the floor, or used parts of the furniture to pull himself up on. Skydive offered a servo every now and again before burying himself back in his book files whilst neither the Harrier or the F15 Eagle moved from the couch they were sat on as they engrossed themselves in one of the games they had procured, a particular one they knew the infamous twins would miss and come looking for sooner or later.

The Aerialbot gestalt team also discovered how particularly difficult it was to feed Bluestreak his specially formulated energon mixture, they quickly learned that trying to get him to sit in one of the couches only had him kick up a storm of irritated twitters and unhappy whimpers. So in the end a slightly frustrated Silverbolt contacted Jazz for advice, the saboteur quickly told him that the best way to get Bluestreak to ingest his energon was either by settling him on one of their hips as it prevented the sparkling from escaping, or the easiest solution was to give him the sippy cup and let him ingest it in his own time. Not sure how the infant would react to the former idea Silverbolt decided to leave the bitlet to his own devices, although he knew that it was probably a bad idea as by some Primus forsaken chance Bluestreak had managed to pry off the supposedly sparkling proof lid and spill the last remnants of his energon on the floor. The Concorde grumbled under his breath at the sight of the mess, but none the less he made his way out of the room to the wash rack, although not without instructing Fireflight to keep an optic on the wandering infant as Slingshot and Air Raid were too busy squabbling over something rather petty, and Skydive had left to grab a couple more book files to read.

The F4 Phantom watched his leader step out of their rec. room before he cast the loudly clicking and chirping sparkling a quick glance, satisfied that the infant wasn't going anywhere he picked up the stray few toys and the disassembled sippy cup and placed them on the play mat. After all it was normally Bluestreak's nap time after having his energon, and Silverbolt had been informed by the bitlet's spark carrier that it was best to put the sparkling down on the mat, preferably on one of his sides, surrounded by his toys. Although it appeared it wasn't going to be the case today as when Fireflight glanced over to where he had last seen the infant, he was no longer there. With his fuel pump suddenly working overtime, the F4 Phantom rushed across and scanned the immediate area but there was no sign of Bluestreak. Near panicking, he quickly checked any gap the sparkling might have slipped into or under but to no avail so he turned to his fellow gestalt-mates and began calling their designations. Fire Flight hopped nervously from one ped to the other as he wrung his hands together, he knew they were all going to end up in big trouble unless his two wing-mates stopped squabbling and listened to his pleading calls, but so far neither one of them appeared to have either heard him or were just plain ignoring him. He glanced back across the room to the empty spot before transferring his gaze back to the arguing duo.

"Guys!" He shouted. Both the Harrier and the F16 Eagle continued to squabble between themselves "guys!" He shouted a little louder but neither of them appeared to have heard him "GUYS!"

"What?" The pair snapped as they turned to glare at him.

"Bluestreak's gone." Fireflight told them looking decidedly nervous and concerned now. There was a clatter behind him and the F4 Phantom dared to slowly glance over his shoulder, only to cringe when he saw Silverbolt stood in the doorway disbelief clearly written upon his facial plates.

"He's what? How'd that happen?" The Aerialbot leader demanded as he moved further into the room and extended his sensors to scan the room.

"I-I just turned my back for a few astro-seconds an' then he was gone." Fireflight responded as he trailed after his leader, nervously wringing his hands as he did so.

"How the frag can you lose him? The kid doesn't stop babbling in sparkling talk." Slingshot said as he glanced around the room, although he made no attempt to get off the couch he was sat on.

"Jazz said he was capable of moving quite fast if he wanted too, so I suggest the two of you get off your skid-plates and help us find him." Silverbolt responded as he checked every nook and cranny of the area he was closest too whilst Fireflight checked one of the other areas, both Slingshot and Air Raid grumbled under their breaths before sliding reluctantly off the couch and joining the search. The four of them searched every part of the small rec. room for any sign of the sparkling including the ventilation grates and ducts, although most of them were screwed in tight so there was no way an infant could easily pry them off. The normally calm Silverbolt was one step away from just calling the bitlet's creator and admitting that they had lost Bluestreak, and was prepared (if that were possible when it came to angry parents) to receive any punishment when Skydive stepped back into the room.

"Missing someone?" The F16 Falcon inquired in a whisper as he made his way over, in his arms deep in recharge was Bluestreak.

Silverbolt quickly made his way over, systems now quietening after the panic of not being able to find the bitlet, although he was somewhat annoyed that Skydive didn't even think to tell them that he knew where the sparkling was "Where did you find him?"

"Slingshot's room … which by the way you need to make sure those contraband items you have disappear before Prowl's next inspection." The F16 Falcon told his wing-mate.

The Concorde glanced at his subordinate with a dark frown "What contraband items?"

The Harrier glared at his comrade before he felt Air Raid nudge him in the side with one of his elbows "I thought you said you'd asked the twins to hide them?" The F15 Eagle asked.

"Slingshot are you trying to get us grounded permanently?" Silverbolt growled lowly, keeping his voice down so he wouldn't rouse the sparkling from his recharge.

"No." The Harrier hissed as he glared at Air Raid for his slip up.

The Concorde vented a heavy sigh "I want whatever you have, gone by the end of the day and no buts either or I might let it slip to Prowl and Jazz about the incident here." Silverbolt made his way over to one of the couches after taking Bluestreak from Skydive, he placed the sparkling down on it whilst making sure he was lying upon his side.

Slingshot frowned at that "But you asked Fireflight to watch him whilst you were gone."

"But you coulda watched him whilst my back was turned." Fireflight pointed out to his comrade as he retrieved the sparkling's blanket from the mat and handed it to their leader so he could wrap the infant in it "after all we're supposed to be working as a team.

"Which means that once he's awake everyone ..." The Concorde directed this at his somewhat reluctant comrades "... is to participate in amusing him."

The other Aerialbots grumbled a response before continuing with what they had been doing, although Silverbolt had them sit close by so they could watch over Bluestreak in order to make sure he didn't roll over onto his back and flatten his sensory panels. It was a little thing Jazz had mentioned to the Aerialbot leader, as a kink or an ache in the vulnerable and sensitive joints was enough to make one chirpy and happy Bluestreak into a grumpy and distressed sparkling. The infant slept for about an hour before the mayhem ensued, the bitlet immediately wanted off the couch the moment he was fully on-line so he could crawl across the floor, and pull himself up with the aid of the furniture whilst under the watchful gaze of the five Aerialbots. Although none of them found themselves to be quick enough to stop Bluestreak from grabbing the carry round bag and emptying its contents on the floor after a good few hard shakes, then he grabbed the paint pots that Silverbolt didn't want him getting his diminutive hands on. Each of them waited to see whether the sparkling could pry off the plastic lids as they had decided it was safer to let the infant cast aside the pots he couldn't open rather than take them off him. They found themselves breathing a sigh of relief when Bluestreak failed to open any of them until there was a _pop!_ and an 'uh oh' uttered by the bitlet, Silverbolt instantly made himself unavailable by stating that he had reports to fill in, whilst Slingshot and Air Raid used the rafters to remain out of the way of Bluestreak and the paint. In a few seconds of sadistic glee Skydive captured an image of the two other fliers, deciding he would show it to a few of the other Autobots at a later date especially Blades. The F16 Falcon turned his attention back to the sparkling when he heard a loud squeal only to grimace slightly at the blue paint now coating the infant's right hand and was now running down into his wrist joint.

"'Flight get some paper before that paint ends up elsewhere." Skydive told his wing-mate as he tried to remain out of the splattering range.

"Oh right sorry I was just undoing the others." The F4 Phantom replied as he placed the pot he had taken the cap off and placed it on the floor, he then grabbed the book of plain A3 paper and tore a few pages out of it and set them down around the bitlet. Bluestreak immediately set his attention on the paper and squealed in delight before he began patting his paint coated hand on the paper.

"Seriously who is insane enough to give their kid paint to play with?" Slingshot demanded as he watched the sparkling continue to decorate the paper with random hand prints, although he missed once in his enthusiasm and got the floor instead.

Air Raid adjusted his position in the rafters "Obviously Prowl and Jazz are, although I don't know what's worse; paint or markers."

"They're just as bad as one another." The Harrier growled.

"Guys its a little poster paint, it doesn't do any harm." Fireflight told his wing-mates as he dipped a couple of his fingers into some red paint before drawing a couple of shapes on the paper, although they were swiftly marred by blue/green hand prints courtesy of a certain infant.

"Right now you're both acting like a frightened human femme whose just seen a spider." Skydive told them as he sat on the floor with the intention to read the data-pad he had in hand whilst keeping an optic on the bitlet and his paint. The F16 Falcon resisted the urge to face palm when Bluestreak shuffled onto the paper and plonked his backside onto the wet paint, he was certainly not looking forward to bathing the sparkling before his parents came to collect him.

Surprisingly during the course of the afternoon, Silverbolt (as he had convinced himself that a little painting wouldn't be too bad) returned and managed to convince both Slingshot and Air Raid to come down from the rafters. The five of them sat on the floor in a ring providing not only fresh paper when the others were liberally coated in paint and chalk (the little glitch had managed to get his hands on those too), but amusement to Bluestreak when the mechlet approached them or as support when the infant decided to use them in order to pull himself up with. And then there was the chalk and the paint which not only managed to work its way onto their own armoured plating but the floor and bits of furniture as well. It truly looked as though one of Sideswipe's infamous paint bombs had gone off inside the room, and now tidying it was only going to be half the battle as a certain sparkling required a bath and a feed (although the latter could wait depending upon when his parents decided to come and fetch him). Silverbolt split them up into two teams; two would take Bluestreak and clean him up whilst the other three tidied up, Slingshot immediately announced he would have no hand in bathing the sparkling as he felt he was mucky enough as it was courtesy of several red hand prints upon his armoured plating, and was in no way going to get wet by one exuberant infant. So the Concorde assigned Skydive and Air Raid to clean up Bluestreak, he wasn't sure whether it was such a good idea to allow Fireflight to participate in bathing the sparkling with his somewhat clumsy nature, whilst the rest of them cleaned up the room.

However getting Bluestreak to co-operate was harder than any of them had imagined as the sparkling decided that being chased around the furniture was in fact a game, and the only way they could get the bitlet out from his new hidey hole was by giving him an energon goodie, although Silverbolt certainly had a few words to say about that. Finally though the two assigned Aerialbots managed to get the infant clean and waxed (an idea of Air Raid's as the F16 Eagle declared that it would destroy all evidence of Bluestreak getting dirty in the first place, however Skydive had pointed out that one of the sparkling's parents would definitely notice the difference), then once the infant was fed, Silverbolt settled the sleepy bitlet on one of the couches whilst the rest of his team collapsed into the other chairs, the day's events finally catching up to them.

Which was exactly how Jazz found them half an hour later when the saboteur stepped into the Aerialbot hangar, a grin instantly appearing upon his lip components at seeing all five fliers sprawled out on separate chairs, each of them looking equally fatigued. The saboteur had to chuckle at that, he knew Bluestreak was capable of tiring out one of his caretakers with his antics, but to tire out all five of the Aerialbots was certainly a new record. The black and white mech made his way over and his grin only grew wider when his saw his creation tucked in a ball with his aft in the air and thumb in his mouth, he was also currently lying in-between Fireflight and Slingshot, deep in recharge.

"Have fun?" Jazz inquired quietly as he met Silverbolt's gaze.

The Aerialbot leader moved to stand beside him, his gaze sweeping over the members of his team who were also recharging "Has certainly been an adventure in itself today."

"I bet, ya even managed to tucker my sparklet out, not many can do that." The saboteur told him as he silently made his way over to the couch and gently plucked the slumbering infant off the surface, he shifted his hold so the bitlet was resting against his chest plates and it was then that he could smell a strange fragrance "why does my son smell like citrus?" The 3IC glanced at the Concorde who shifted slightly on his feet and gave him a nervous smile "ya let him have th' paints didn't ya?"

"We didn't so much as let him, he kinda emptied the entire bag's contents on the floor before we could stop him, and none of us predicted that he would be able to actually get the lids off." Silverbolt replied as he handed over the carry round bag and play mat over to the black and white once Jazz had managed to free one of his arms.

The saboteur chuckled as he glanced down at the sparkling in the crook of his left elbow "Kid can get inta anythin', Prowl an' I have almost given up tryin' ta improve th' locks an' such ta stop him getting' inta things."

"Seems like he's taking after you in that respect." The Concorde told him.

"I have no idea what ya talkin' about." The black and white mech responded with a grin upon his facial plates "anyway thanks fer havin' him today Silverbolt, an' Prowler also asked me ta pass on a message."

The Aerialbot leader glanced at the 3IC curiously "Oh?"

"Yea he wants all five of ya back on patrol tomorrow bright an' early." Jazz told him as he began making his way out of the room before he glanced back at the Concorde "by the way tell Slingshot and Air Raid that if they so much as step outta line, we might accidentally let it slip about their escape inta th' rafters." Silverbolt frowned at that as he briefly wondered how the saboteur knew about that, although the Aerialbot leader hadn't seen it personally, until the black and white mech gestured to the camera in one of the upper corners "anyway thanks again."

"No problem Jazz." The Concorde responded as he watched the saboteur leave the room before he made his way over to one of the couches and plonked himself down in it.

The head of special operations stepped out of the Aerialbot hangar and began making his way down the corridor, although along the way he held a sleepy Bluestreak slightly out in front of him as he addressed the sparkling "Gonna have ta get ya washed before ya father returns from duty, he hates th' smell of citrus." Jazz told his creation as he shifted him to rest against his chest plates, the infant warbled sleepily in agreement before dropping back off into recharge.

_**A/N: **Sorry this one took long to appear, but a lot has been going on in terms of real life. Next one up: Of Sparklings and Dinobots._


	23. Of Sparklings and Dinobots

_**Title:** Of Sparklings and Dinobots_

_**Rating:** K+_

_**Universe:** Transformers Animated verse (AU)_

_**Characters: **Sparkling Bluestreak, Prowl, Jazz, the Dinobots and mentions of others_

_**Pairings: **ProwlxJazz_

_**Warnings:** fluff, humour, a little ounce of slash but nothing major_

_**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition_

_**Summary**: Prowl decides to finally and fully introduce Bluestreak to nature, however he gets more than he bargained for on his outdoors excursion_

_Request for **Gatekat**, I decided to write this one in the Animated Verse since I haven't done one yet and I know Slag went by Snarl in the cartoon and shall remain that way unfortunately in this fic. Also this one shot provides its own back story on how Bluestreak came to be. Anyway Hope you all enjoy!_

_{Blah} – Bond Communication_

He had planned it perfectly as he sat down upon the sandy beach of the small island that was in the centre of Lake Eerie, he had successfully managed to sneak out of the warehouse in the early hours of the morning without his mate or his comrades knowing so he could arrive just in time for one of Earth's most spectacular phenomenons; a sunrise. The sky above him was a plethora of different hues ranging from yellow to a deep blue, a few clouds streaked the sky but none of them concerned in the slightest as the most important element of the day was just beginning to peek its head up just over the horizon. The Sun's golden rays stretched out across the sky and the water warming everything in its path before they alighted upon the beach he was sat on. A curious warble from his arms had Prowl glancing down to meet the sleepy baby blue optics of his son, the cyber-ninja gave the infant a smile before adjusting his hold so the sparkling was sat up. The bitlet chirped loudly as he freed one of his arms from the confines of his blanket and extended his hand toward the sun allowing the gold rays to glint off his grey derma plating, the black and gold ninja chuckled at the long low whistle his creation gave at the rising sun. Prowl settled Bluestreak in his lap whilst making sure that the blanket didn't fall away from his son's frame as the morning air was still somewhat chilly, the cyber-ninja knew his spark-mate would never forgive him if their bitlet came down with a chill.

The black and gold ninja allowed his thoughts to stray to the other ninja he now called his bond-mate, he knew that the very moment he had met Jazz that things were going to be particularly interesting between them, after all they had been students tutored in the ways of the cyber-ninja, although regretfully Prowl had never finished his training due to the unforeseen death of Master Yoketron. Luckily enough the Elite Guard cyber-ninja had helped him complete his training in the arts of Metallikato, Circuit Su, and had even shown him the basics of Diffusion. However along the way, an attraction had developed between the pair of them, but there was a divide that prevented them from taking their relationship to the next step. Both Ratchet and Optimus Prime had warned him about the consequences they could face if the Elite Guard discovered that Jazz was fraternising with someone below his station, after all the Elite wanted to keep the code-lines pure and untainted.

Prowl was drawn out of his brief musings when he heard Bluestreak squeal loudly at the sight of a flock of birds flying overhead, the cyber-ninja couldn't help but chuckle at his son's enthusiasm and knew that the bitlet's curious nature had been inherited from both him and Jazz, although he had to admit one thing his offspring had gotten from his carrier, and that was his temper. The black and gold ninja had always considered Jazz to be calm and cool natured, that was until he saw the black and white ninja nearly rip Sentinel Prime's head off. Prowl easily recalled the moment when it had happened, the pompous gas bag of a Prime had kicked up a stink when he had discovered that Ultra Magnus had willingly bent the rules so the two cyber-ninjas could pursue a relationship. Of course Sentinel had pointed out every possible reason he could think of to prevent them from becoming a couple, including the one that by all rights as Jazz's superior, he should have the privilege to mate with the cyber-ninja now that the black and white ninja was permitted to have a heat cycle (a regime that had been incorporated into the Elite Guard by the council in order to ensure that sparkling creation was kept to a minimum and that code-lines (like DNA) could be traced easily and efficiently. It was also to ensure that they weren't being distracted and undermanned by the nurturing and raising of so many young lives, not whilst the Decepticons were still a possible threat). Prowl had expected the usual speech about lowly repair bots and grease grunts from Sentinel, but what he didn't expect was Jazz tearing the Prime to shreds verbally, in fact the verbal lashing his fellow cyber-ninja had given Sentinel had stunned everyone including Ultra Magnus into silence. It had been then that the black and gold ninja had vowed never to get on the wrong side of his lover, although that had been downright near impossible to too whilst Jazz had been carrying Bluestreak. Which was why Prowl likened his son to his mate when the sparkling threw a temper tantrum, although they were often very rare and in-between.

Prowl was drawn out of his thoughts when a loud roar echoed throughout the forest behind him, swiftly followed by a resounding crash which scared a few birds out of a tree beside him. Bluestreak glanced up at him and gave his sire a troubled warble, the cyber-ninja sent soothing pulses through the bond they shared before he clicked reassuringly to his creation. He knew exactly what the disruption had been, and normally he would have gone to see why the Dinobots were kicking up such a fuss, but now he had his son to think about, although there was no harm in getting close to see what they were up to without putting the infant at risk. With his mind made up, the black and gold ninja adjusted his hold on his sparkling and made his way into the forest and through the undergrowth, he smiled when he heard the excited and enthusiastic babble escaping his creation's vocaliser. It was only when they got closer to the skirmish that Bluestreak's clicking and chirping became more timid and sporadic, whilst his delicate frame attempted to curl further into his father's chassis. The cyber-ninja sprung up into one of the trees and crossed the thick branches with ease, although he was certainly more cautious about doing it before he settled upon one that hung above the two squabbling Dinobots. The black and gold ninja wasn't the least bit surprised to see Grimlock and Snarl fighting as the pair had always been the more aggressive of the trio, however he was surprised to see Swoop simply observing the battle on a branch opposite him. The Pteranodon spotted him and nimble crossed the distance in seconds before settling beside him, curious blue optics met baby blue ones, then Swoop glanced up to meet Prowl's gaze.

"Him tiny hatchling." The Pteranodon said as he cocked his head to the side and clicked at the sparkling who was simply staring at him, the little one's diminutive hands clutching onto his father's chest plates.

The cyber-ninja smiled as he glanced down at his son "Yes he is, his name is Bluestreak."

"Him Blue very quiet like you Prowl." Swoop told the black and gold ninja as he glanced down at his fellow Dinobots "me Swoop wish him Grimlock and him Snarl were quiet too."

"What are they fighting over?" Prowl inquired as he adjusted his hold on his creation, the infant was still staring at the Dinobot perched on the branch next to his sire, although curious clicks and warbles were beginning to escape his vocaliser now.

"Him Snarl told him Grimlock that he was too bossy, then they start argument and try to involve me Swoop but I wouldn't let them." The Pteranodon replied as he settled his forearms upon his thighs.

A slight smile tugged at the cyber-ninja's lip components, he was amazed at how much the Dinobots had developed since their accidental creation. They had been quick learners particularly Swoop when it came to speech, although they still referred to themselves and others in the third person however the Pteranodon was slowly beginning to insert the first pronoun every now and again in his sentences. The only thing Grimlock and Snarl had to refine other than their speech and mannerisms, was the primitive aggression that gripped them although the black and gold ninja knew that it could never be repressed due to their preprogrammed nature. Suddenly there was an almighty crash as Grimlock, despite his lumbering size, managed to dodge out of the way of Snarl charging toward him, the Triceratops skidded and smashed head first into a tree, his horns becoming fully wedged. Snarl gave a harsh tug in order to try and free himself, but all he managed to do was dig trenches in the soft ground with his feet.

"Ha me Grimlock king!" The Tyrannosaurus Rex proclaimed as he beat his chest plates with a single clawed hand.

"Him Grimlock big dufus." Swoop mumbled as he watched his leader continue to proclaim his victory to a more than irritated Snarl who was still trying to work his horns free.

Bluestreak suddenly squealed at the amusing sight of the Triceratops which immediately garnered the attention of Grimlock, the T-Rex glanced up to where his team-mate and Prowl were currently situated, his blue optics narrowing in on the small bundle in the black and gold ninja's arms. Grimlock transformed into his bipedal mode and took a step closer whilst ignoring the fact that Snarl had finally managed to free himself, although it appeared that the Triceratops had forgotten what he and his leader had been arguing about, and was also taking a interest in the loudly clicking and chirping sparkling.

"Why does him Prowl have tiny hatchling?" Grimlock inquired as he cocked his head to the side, his gaze curious. Prowl glanced down at his noisy creation before he slipped off the branch he was on and dropped gracefully down to the ground. The black and gold ninja cautiously approached the T-Rex before slowly presenting the infant to the Dinobot.

"This tiny hatchling is my son, his name is Bluestreak." The cyber-ninja told him as he sent soothing and comforting thoughts to the wary sparkling.

A low rumble reverberated in Grimlock's chest "So him Blue is good bot too?"

A smile tugged at Prowl's lip components "Yes he is." The infant chirped in response before he began clicking at Snarl who had managed to get incredibly close to the black and gold ninja and the delicate bitlet in his arms.

"Him puny." The Triceratops said before he trotted off.

A barely interpretable frown appeared upon Prowl's facial plates at Snarl's remark, it was probably a good thing Jazz wasn't there with him as he knew his mate would have likely tried to boot the Dinobot's aft to Cybertron and back again. The two cyber-ninjas were aware of the fact that Bluestreak was slightly smaller than the average sparkling, but he was perfectly healthy with no concerns at all. The pair of them had been constantly reminded about the bitlet's size by Sentinel and on the occasion Bumblebee, and more than a few times he had to hold Jazz back in fear that his mate might reformat them into scrap drones.

Swoop jumped down from the branch he had been perched upon "Him Blue maybe puny now, but him hatchling will get bigger."

The black and gold ninja shook his head in amusement and gently deposited his squirming creation down on the ground, Bluestreak trembled slightly at the loss of the warm cocoon of blankets, and when the chill from the dew covered grass touched his derma plating. But the sparkling wasn't deterred in the slightest and continued to loudly click and chirp as he crawled onwards, the cyber-ninja followed after his curious offspring watching him closely particularly when it came to which routes he took and what plants he approached (although a majority of them were pretty harmless). Prowl was also keenly aware of the three Dinobots following closely behind, and watched as every now and again Grimlock made his way to the front of the group in his T-Rex form and nudged any undergrowth that impeded the infant's path out of the way with his snout. The black and gold ninja knew that if he had been any other bot, he would have panicked about letting something as big as a Dinobot let alone three near something as small and fragile as a sparkling, but the cyber-ninja was not in the least bit concerned. After a short while Bluestreak dropped back onto his little aft and scrubbed a slightly dirtied hand over an optic before letting a tired yawn escape his vocaliser, Prowl moved forward and scooped his son up then wrapped him in his blanket as the infant settled in his arms for his mid-morning nap.

Prowl made his way through the undergrowth to the spot both he and Jazz favoured as a camping/training site, although the black and gold ninja would have to admit that not all acts 'committed' there had been innocent. The cyber-ninja quelled the rising flush that threatened to appear upon his cheek plates at the mere thought of the 'tumbles' he and his mate had, had there, as well as the fact that the three Dinobots were still following him. Prowl sat down upon the ground in the small clearing, his back resting against one of the three tree trunks that formed a circle around a small ring of stones. The three Dinobots also settled down closely by, choosing to stay and remain as silent guardians.

Bluestreak slept up to lunch time before waking up and demanding his next feed, as per usual when it came to that time the sparkling preferred to hold his sippy cup and ingest his energon in his own time. So the black and gold ninja handed his son the specially graded liquid formula and simply watched him closely, although it seemed that the Dinobots especially Grimlock was particularly interested in the infant, and would every now and again direct the bitlet back towards his creator. However the little grey mechlet was none too pleased about being herded all the time, so he sat down on his little aft and twittered in irritation at the T-Rex, Grimlock simply growled lowly in the back of his throat but it didn't scare the infant in the slightest. In fact an amused giggle worked its way out of Bluestreak's vocaliser instead. Bemused if not somewhat surprised at that, the T-Rex growled a little louder and closer to the sparkling this time, the infant burst out laughing and rolled over onto his back, his energon temporarily forgotten for the time being. That was until the bitlet promptly stuffed the plastic spout into his mouth before he popped it back out with a loud gasp swiftly followed by a cheeky grin and chirps and coos. Although the clicks and chirps faded into silence when an inhuman screech permeated the air, Prowl was immediately on his feet and plucked a silent and terrified Bluestreak up off the ground. He scanned the forest around them taking note of how each of the Dinobots had taken on their robot modes and holding their weapons at the ready. The black and gold ninja was also surprised by the fact that that had formed a defensive circle around him and his sparkling, all of them ready to fend off whatever was heading their way.

Suddenly the bushes rustled to the left of them before the two twisted creation's of Meltdown's burst into the clearing, and the Dinobots reacted the instant Bluestreak gave a terrified scream. Prowl immediately jumped up into one of the trees taking himself and his son out of the skirmish that was taking place below them, he rubbed soothing circles upon the sparkling's back plates to keep him calm as they couldn't afford to attract the attention of either creature in their direction. Although it appeared neither of the monsters were capable of fighting off Grimlock and his crew particularly when each of them were feeling rather protective towards the sparkling. Amused if not surprised by the Dinobots behaviour, Prowl watched as the three of them easily chased off the monsters before he dropped back down to the ground.

"Ha that's why me Grimlock better than you!" The T-Rex proudly announced, pumping one clawed fist into the air, Swoop simply cocked his head to the side in an imitation of a human rolling their eyes whilst Snarl growled lowly in the back of his throat, but didn't do anything to correct his leader's statement. Although Grimlock quickly stopped his proclamation when he heard the terrified whimpers and cries from behind him, the T-Rex turned to see Prowl pace back and forth with an unhappy infant in his arms.

Grimlock frowned at the distressed noises leaving the bitlet's vocaliser "Why him Blue making unhappy noises?"

The black and gold ninja glanced at him whilst he bounced Bluestreak on his arms in order to quiet him "The monsters just spooked him, he'll be fine in a moment." _'I hope'_ The cyber-ninja wanted to add but refrained from doing so, he just hoped he could get the sparkling to calm or he was going to have a concerned bond-mate pinging his comm. link. Surprisingly enough when the infant saw the Dinobot leader, he began making grabbing motions with his hands, Grimlock was somewhat startled by the motion and glanced at Prowl who looked just as befuddled as he did.

"Why him Blue doing that?" The T-Rex inquired.

"Him Blue wants you Grimlock to hold him." Swoop told his fellow Dinobot as he watched the bitlet persist in his demand to be held by the T-Rex.

"Can me Grimlock hold him Blue?" The T-Rex asked.

Prowl was slightly reluctant about letting a bot as dangerous as a Dinobot hold his son, but then again if he could allow a bot as cumbersome as Bulkhead hold the sparkling and be surprised that he didn't drop him, then there was no harm in letting Grimlock hold him. The black and gold ninja gently handed over his creation to the T-Rex taking time to adjust the other's hold before stepping back, a small smile tugged at the corners of his lip components at the sight of Bluestreak snuggling into the Dinobots chest plates with a contented purr leaving his vocaliser, although the sparkling sent a concerned chirp in the Pteranodon's and the Triceratops' direction first, inquiring to see if they were alright too.

"Me Swoop and him snarl fine too Blue." The Pteranodon told the infant

Lucky enough the remainder of the afternoon went quietly and without further trouble, although Grimlock was rather reluctant to relinquish his hold on Bluestreak and only did so when the sparkling squirmed to get down. The three Dinobots followed the bitlet through the undergrowth, keeping him away from anything that could prove harmful whilst fully aware that the little grey mechlet's creator was never too far behind. Although after a while Bluestreak grew tired of crawling and demanded to be picked up and carried, Prowl happily obliged his son and plucked him off the ground before settling him in his arms and carrying him back to the camping site. Of course once there, the sparkling wanted down again and made several laps around the stone ring since none of the Dinobots allowed him to go too far, and gently nudged him in the opposite direction with clawed hands.

It wasn't long after that before the infant demanded his evening feed and quite comfortably settled next to the T-Rex to devour his dinner then fall into recharge, Prowl couldn't help but shake his head in amusement at that as he tucked the bitlet's blanket around him since trying to move him was out of the question, he had already tried once only for Bluestreak to twitter at him in irritation, so he decided to leave him where he was for now. Even Grimlock had grown somewhat frustrated when the infant refused to leave him alone, but in the end knew he was resided to his fate and decided to let the little grey mechlet have his own way. The black and gold ninja sat down upon the ground not far from the three Dinobots, taking up a meditative position and simply observe them which was exactly how a certain black and white cyber-ninja found them a couple of hours later.

"What's this I hear that ya ran off wit' our sparklin'?" Came a familiar voice, a smile quirked the corner's of Prowl's lip components as he glanced over his shoulder to see his spark-mate make his way over to him.

"You were aware of my plans for today." The black and gold ninja told him.

The retired Elite Guard ninja crouched beside his bonded, a small chuckle escaping him "Somehow though I don't think th' Dinobots were on ya list of things ta introduce Blue too."

"No they weren't." Prowl replied as he glanced toward where the three Dinobots were curled up, all deep in recharge. However his gaze was more focused upon the small grey frame cuddled into the T-Rex's side, a spot he reused to be removed from. Bluestreak had made up his sparkling mind that the Dinobots were nothing more than glorified oversized teddy bears and wanted to stay with them. Grimlock despite his less than gentle nature had tried to push the bitlet away as lightly as he could, only for the infant to crawl right back to him, the black and gold ninja had tried to take Bluestreak away only to be rewarded for his efforts when the sparkling twittered at him in irritation. So Prowl had decided to leave him where he was curled up next to the T-Rex and wait for his mate to appear, after all Jazz had always been much better at convincing their creation than he was.

"I think he'll be fine where he is love as long as th' big lug doesn't roll over an' squash him." The black and white ninja told him, a smile quirked the corners of his lip components as he met his spark-mate's gaze "'sides ya wanted ta introduce him ta nature, an' this can be his very first campin' trip."

"I'm just not looking forward to trying to take him away from the Dinobots, I can imagine the beginning of tomorrow will see plenty of screaming and the possible need to run for our lives." The black and gold cyber-ninja replied as he glanced across to where their offspring was happily settled.

Jazz sat down beside him, his gaze also now focused upon their bitlet "Think we'll need to call fer back up?"

A small chuckle made its way out Prowl "Primus I hope not, although we could have them on stand by just in case." The black and white ninja couldn't help but laugh at that, he could just imagine the expressions upon the other's facial plates after they requested for help in 'rescuing' their sparklet from the Dinobots, although his laughter soon trailed off when he heard a deep rumbling growl come from one of the aforementioned. Jazz and Prowl glanced across to see narrowed, sleepy blue optics glaring at them.

"You cyber-ninjas too noisy, wake up puny hatchling." Grimlock grumbled at the pair of them before he dropped back off into recharge.

_{Well that told us.} _Jazz said feeling somewhat put out.

_{Well you do have this ability of not being able to stop talking.}_ Prowl told his bonded without meeting the other ninja's gaze _{and I believe that's where Bluestreak seems to have picked it up from.}_

The black and white ninja shot a playful glare at his spark-mate before he lightly shoved him _{Admit it ya love it when I talk.}_

_{Hmm sometimes I don't know which I prefer the quietness or a processor ache?}_ The black and gold ninja replied, a smile curving his lip components

_{Ya know what? Ya on ya own tomorrow.}_ The black and white ninja told him as he folded his arms across his chest plates and turned his helm up in the expression of 'I'm not talking to you now'.

_{Oh really?}_ Prowl inquired as he quirked a single optic ridge before he suddenly lunged for his bonded, Jazz was taken slightly by surprise of the manoeuvre and the two ninja's found themselves grappling in order to assert their dominance. However in the end the black and gold cyber-ninja managed to roll them so he came out on top before he leant down so their facial plates were mere inches apart _{if you can beat me in a round of Metallikato then I will happily submit to my fate, but if I win .. well then you're on your own.}_

Jazz grinned up at his mate before he twisted himself out from under his spark-mate's weight, he sprung up onto his feet and settled into a defensive stance _{Your on.}_

_**A/N:** Who wins? I leave that decision up to you. And just five more left and I'm open to requests again that's unless the lazy Renascentia plot bunny bites. _

_Read & Review!_


	24. Of Younglings and Inconvenient Injuries

_**Title:**__ Of Younglings and Inconvenient Injuries_

_**Rating:**__ K+_

_**Universe:**__ Transformers PostMovie07_

_**Characters: **__ Youngling Bluestreak, Prowl, Jazz, and ensemble_

_**Pairings: **__ProwlxJazz_

_**Warnings:**__ fluff, humour, use of profanities_

_**Disclaimer: **__Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition, and the play is certainly not mine._

_**Summary: **An accident whilst under the watchful optics of his guardians renders Bluestreak vocally quiet_

_Request for __**thephoenixqueen**__, hope you enjoy hun!_

_{blah} – Bond communication_

Bluestreak hated the med-bay for obvious reasons; the first being that it was Ratchet's lair and anyone who entered were in danger of having a nice hefty wrench greet their craniums if they annoyed him, lucky enough he was too young to suffer the same wrath as his parents and the other Autobots did. Although the youngling suspected that by the angry look upon the old Hatchet's facial plates was enough to instil the fear of Primus into his brave guardians Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. Both of whom he knew where nervously shuffling upon their peds whilst they stood beside the medical berth he was currently sat upon, the CMO was also stood beside him grumbling under his breath as he checked over the scans he had just run. The youngling tried not to wince at the dull throb in his throat, it had been a lot worse moments ago after the twins had rushed him into the repair bay, but Ratchet had given him something for the pain although he had been none too happy about the use of needles in that matter. The little grey mechlet tried to gently rub his neck to soothe away the discomfort, however the CMO peeled his hand away and gave him a stern look, Bluestreak couldn't help but look sheepish at that and tucked his hands into his lap to prevent himself from trying again. Suddenly his attention was drawn to the med-bay doors when they whooshed open to permit his spark carrier inside, his daddy rushed over with a concerned look upon his facial plates despite the youngling's early prediction that his carrier would be mad at Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. The little grey mechlet glanced at the red Lamborghini when he heard his guardian shift restlessly upon his peds, he understood that he probably wanted to bolt from the med-bay before his daddy reformatted him.

In fact it seemed that his carrier picked up on the red twin's uneasiness and glanced at him "Sides man ya can come down from red alert, I'm not gonna do anythin'."

"But ..." The red front-liner began, a frown marring his facial plates "... we should have been more careful."

Jazz offered him a small reassuring smile "Ya not th' only one whose accidentally caused him injury ya know." Everyone knew of the two incidents he had spoken of, the first time had occurred whilst Bumblebee had been watching over the youngling, the little grey mechlet had become far too enthusiastic in the chase and forgotten to watch where he was going and ran straight into a wall*, the scout had fretted about the little grey mechlet's well being, but Bluestreak had simply shaken it off and continued playing as if nothing happened. Then the second incident had happened through a show of disobedience from the youngling, he had refused to go to bed at his allotted time and attempted to run off, Jazz despite being well known for being cool headed, had lost his temper and made a grab for one of his son's sensory panels. Of course that had been a miscalculated mistake on his behalf as the little grey mechlet had tried to twist out of his hold and dislocated the panel as a result, both creator and creation had been inconsolable for a few hours but lucky enough Prowl had managed to get his spark-mate to forgive himself, Bluestreak to apologise and forgive his carrier.

The saboteur glanced at the CMO "Is Blue gonna be alright though?"

"Well the impact with the table pinched his vocaliser which has rendered Bluestreak completely mute." Ratchet began as he met the Solstice's gaze "however due to the delicate nature of the youngling's vocaliser, I'm gonna have to leave the regeneration of the damage to his own self repair systems which could take a few days at best."

"I see." Jazz replied as he glanced down at his creation, offering him a small reassuring smile.

Sideswipe vented a sigh from his intakes and rubbed the back of his neck with one of his hands "Man I feel terrible." He mumbled as he glanced off to the side.

Bluestreak looked somewhat alarmed at that and looked up at his carrier _{Daddy tell uncle Sides I don't blame him or uncle Sunny pretty please.}_

The saboteur let a smile quirk the corners of his lip components before he turned his attention to the twins "Blue says he doesn't blame either of you."

The red front-liner looked surprised at that "How ….?"

"The bond Sides, just because he's been rendered verbally silenced doesn't mean he has been in here." The Solstice replied as he placed one clawed hand upon his chest plates right above his spark, the silver mech saw the brief flicker in the other's optics, no doubt a gesture of mentally slapping himself. He understood that Sideswipe was feeling particularly guilty about what had happened, although Jazz knew despite his outward appearance that Sunstreaker too was feeling remorseful for the injury Bluestreak had received.

"Right I want all of you out, I have work to do now scram." Ratchet snapped at all of them, the twins immediately bolted from the med-bay, wasting no time in case the CMO decided to throw a wrench in their direction whilst Jazz and Bluestreak looked surprised if not somewhat annoyed. The medic turned his attention from the retreating backs of the twins to meet the frown of disapproval upon the 3IC's facial plates but he simply ignored it "I want to see Bluestreak back in here tomorrow morning so I can keep an optic on his condition and repairs."

"You got it Ratch." The saboteur responded before he plucked the youngling off the berth and set him on the floor beside him, the little grey mechlet immediately latched onto one of his clawed hands and pressed himself into the leg he was closest too "come on you." The silver mech turned fully about and led Bluestreak out of the med-bay and into the corridor, Jazz was mildly surprised to see that neither of the twins had gone very far at all as the pair of them were leant against the wall a few metres down the hallway.

"You know I wonder sometimes what exactly has crawled up the ole Hatchet's exhaust port to make him so grouchy." Sideswipe grumbled as he pushed himself off the wall, he glanced down at the youngling twiddling his thumbs in a sudden gesture of nervousness, a surprising and somewhat uncharacteristic show of anxiety coming from the front-liner "Blue, Sunny an' I are really sorry for what happened, and we were wonderin' if you wanna catch a movie in the rec. room, your choice." The youngling glanced up at his carrier then transferred his gaze to the twins before prompting shaking his head, Sideswipe visibly deflated at the little grey mechlet's choice.

The saboteur approached the red front-liner and touched one of Sideswipe's elbow joints "Don't take it too personally, he's just feelin' a little vulnerable at th' mo."

"Maybe next time then Blue?" The red Lamborghini inquired, Bluestreak nodded before wincing slightly when it pulled on the injury.

Jazz grimaced inwardly and noticed the twins flinching ever so slightly "Anyway we'll catch ya later guys." The twins nodded before making their way down the corridor then disappeared from sight, the saboteur watched them go before he glanced down at Bluestreak who looked down right miserable, he gave his son a small reassuring smile before leading him in the direction of his office where he planned to pick up some paperwork, then head to quarters. After all he felt his son's well-being was much prudent at the moment than duty, although he alerted Mirage of his intentions since they had plans to go over a couple of mission specifications, but the spy simply told him it could wait and wished for Bluestreak to have a speedy recovery. Once the Solstice had collected the reports which still required his attention from his office, he headed toward the residential section, along the way his gaze fell briefly on the youngling a few times as they made their way through the inter-connecting corridors. Jazz watched as a solemn expression appeared upon his creation's facial plates whilst his little sensory panels drooped so they were almost flat against his back, the saboteur vented a small sigh out of his intakes before he sent a wave of reassurance and comfort over the bond. Bluestreak glanced up at him and gave his carrier a small brief smile before it faded.

Soon the pair arrived at their quarters and the Solstice punched in the code, the doors slid open permitting them access to the room beyond. Jazz made his way over to the couch and sat down upon it, the youngling wasted no time in clambering up onto it and snuggling into his carrier's side, looking and feeling utterly gloomy. Jazz vented a small sad sigh, he had a feeling that being rendered accidentally mute would have an impact upon the little grey mechlet, more so because Bluestreak was a noticeably vocal individual and to suddenly have his primary means of communication taken away from him was likely to have a negative effect on him. The saboteur wrapped one of his arms around the youngling's shoulders in a comforting hug, but he soon shifted so he could trailed clawed fingertips down the back of his son's helm. Normally the little grey mechlet would give a murmur or a small noise of contentment, but with his condition as it was, he couldn't. The Solstice had only seen this kind of behaviour once before and that had been when Bumblebee had sustained serious injuries courtesy of Megatron. The scout had become withdrawn and despondent since his own form of communicating was digital text, that was until Jazz taught him how to use sound bytes and slips to communicate.

"You know ya uncle 'Bee once lost his voice." The immediately had Bluestreak's attention as the youngling gently pushed himself away from his carrier and glanced up at him, a curious look appeared upon his young facial plates.

_{What happened?}_ The little grey mechlet inquired over the bond, a feat. he was becoming quite good at now

"Nasty Megabum damaged his vocaliser when he attacked him, poor 'Bee couldn't talk for weeks an' th' only way he could communicate was by writin' things down or textin' bots." The saboteur explained to him "then I taught him ta use different sound bytes like lyrics from a song." Jazz chuckled "we use to drive Ratchet and Ironhide crazy wit' th' things we came up with."

_{How'd he get it back?}_ Bluestreak inquired as he quirked his head to the side.

"Remember when I told you about the Allspark?" The youngling nodded at that "well it gave Bumblebee th' chance ta talk again like your self repair systems will do, just .. gotta have patience until then." The little grey mechlet nodded and was just about to snuggle back into his daddy's side when the Solstice pushed himself up out of the couch, Bluestreak clambered up onto his knees and peered over the top of the chair wondering what his carrier was up to. The youngling watched as his daddy plucked a few data-pads off a shelf and flicked through them, he heard his carrier make a small triumphant noise before he made his way back over. The little grey mechlet stared at the data-pad his daddy was now holding out to him before he glanced up to meet his carrier's gaze, a questioning look upon his facial plates.

"Well since I can't teach you how ta use sound bytes, we'll have ta settle fer writin' instead." Jazz explained to his son as he handed him the pad, then a few seconds later a stylus which he fished out of his sub-space. Bluestreak clutched his new tools of communication close to his chest plates before he glanced up at his carrier and grinned, the saboteur chuckled at the happy look upon his son's facial plates as the youngling clambered off the couch and rushed across to his room. The Solstice watched in curiosity as his creation disappeared into his room only to return a few seconds later with one of his carry round bags in his arms, Jazz shook his head in amusement as he stepped around the couch and sat down. The saboteur watched as Bluestreak crouched down by the chair and opened up the bag where he slotted the data-pad and stylus into a pocket at the back of the bag before he zipped it closed and clambered back onto the couch. The youngling snuggled back into his daddy's side with a game pad in his hands and settled quite happily with just playing with the hand held console for the rest of the afternoon.

**A few hours later ...**

There were times when Prowl really hated his job as the chief tactical officer although he would never admit it, but he couldn't help but feel the particular need for wanting to bang his helm repeatedly against the wall, especially when it came to the humans tactical division. The 2IC knew that the humans could be illogical and downright irritating the majority of the time, but never before had he come close to snapping and telling the humans to quite bluntly slag off. However he had endured the long torturous hours of being stuck in the briefing room, and was now very much looking forward to spending time with his bond-mate and their son. The Dodge Charger spotted the doors to his shared quarters and quickened his pace, once he had covered the last few metres he punched the code into the pad and stepped through the doors the second they slid open to permit him access. The black and white mech stepped into the living space and immediately paused in his stride, a smile tugged at his lip components when his azure gaze fell upon Jazz sat down on one side of the small table and Bluestreak on the other with a game of Connect Four between them.

"Evenin' love." The saboteur called out without so much as looking up as he dropped a red circular piece into the game board.

Prowl began making his way over to his family, the tension slowly draining out of his frame now that he was home "Evening."

The Solstice glanced up and met his bonded's gaze "Had a long day I take it?"

"Let's just say I'll be glad to see the back of today." The tactician replied as he sat down beside the youngling. The smallest of frowns was just beginning to appear upon his facial plates at how quiet the little grey mechlet was being, it was a rarity not to hear Bluestreak talking as the only two times he was silent was when he had either been told off and was sulking, or when he was in recharge, but the fact that he wasn't non-stop talking meant there was something not quite right about their creation. It seemed that Jazz had picked up on his line of thinking or the concerned thoughts across the bond as his spark-mate held his gaze before he glanced at their offspring.

"Blue had an accident today." The saboteur told him.

The Dodge Charger's optic ridges furrowed "An accident?"

The little grey mechlet grinned sheepishly up at his father {It was an accident as I wasn't watchin' where I was going, uncles Sunny an' Sides had nothin' to do with it.}

"The twins?" Prowl inquired.

"Don't say anything to them, they feel real guilty about what happened." The Solstice replied "sides Ratchet said Blue's self repair should fix the damage done to his vocaliser, it'll just take a few days."

"So we'll have a few days of quiet then?" The tactician asked as he glanced down at Bluestreak, the youngling's mouth plates dropped open in shock before he folded his arms across his chest and tilted his head upwards and away in a gesture that meant he wasn't talking to his sire any more. The Dodge Charger quirked an optic ridge before he gently poked him in the side "little Blue." The little grey mechlet continued to ignore his father until the gentle poking in his side turned into tickling, Bluestreak frame shook with giggles as he scrambled up onto his peds, then turned and jumped on his sire. Soundless laughter escaped from the youngling as he attempted to return the gesture of tickling his father, chuckles of amusement escaped the tactician as he tried to defend himself from his son's 'attacks'. The Dodge Charger who was now flat on his back with Bluestreak sat on his abdomen, allowed his creation to grab his wrists and pin his hands to his chest plates.

The youngling fixed him with a stern look _{Say I'm not noisy coz uncle Sides an' ole Hide an' Ratch are noisy, but I'm not noisy ...}_ The little grey mechlet glanced over his shoulder, flicking a sensory panel out of the way as he did so as he glanced at his carrier _{… daddy tell father to say I'm not noisy.}_

Jazz reined in his laughter "You heard him love."

The black and white mech vented a sigh of exasperation "Alright, you're not a noisy mech, talkative maybe but not noisy."

The saboteur chuckled "Not helpin' your case Prowler."

"Alright you're the quietest mechlet I've ever known." Prowl told his son, he watched as Bluestreak contemplated his answer for a few moments.

_{Okay you're forgiven.}_ The youngling replied as he gave his sire the biggest grin he could muster.

The Solstice pushed himself up onto his feet and made his way over "Right you come on, its gone past ya recharge time." The little grey mechlet cocked his head to the side in an imitation of a human rolling their eyes, but he complied none the less as he pushed himself up off his father and trudged across to his room. The tactician pulled himself up onto his peds whilst he flexed his door wings, he immediately noticed how solemn his bonded had become and knew Jazz's thoughts echoed his own.

_{He'll be fine.}_ The Dodge Charger reassured his mate, he gave one of the saboteur's elbow joints a gentle squeeze.

_{I know, but I also know he's gonna get frustrated by not bein' able ta communicate wit' th' others properly.}_ The Solstice replied.

_{If he's anything like you, he'll adapt to the situation.}_ The black and white mech told him.

The silver mech vented a sigh as he glanced over to their son's room _{I hope so.}_

Prowl watched as his bond-mate made his way over to their creation's berth-room and waited for him to step inside before he too vented a sigh, the tactician was also concerned about Bluestreak's well-being as this was the first real injury the youngling had sustained which had rendered him mute. The Dodge Charger knew that although his son's condition wasn't as bad as Bumblebee's had been, the experience was still likely to affect the little grey mechlet in every way. Prowl just hoped that for his creation's sake as he made his way over to Bluestreak's berth-room with the intention to say goodnight, that the next few days went quickly so the youngling didn't have to put up with this for too long.

**A few days later ….**

However it seemed after a few days that there was no improvement in Bluestreak's condition at all as the youngling was still unable to talk without the aid of his data-pad and stylus. Ratchet had explained to both concerned parents that the little grey mechlet was well on the road to recovery despite their scepticism and worry that something more could be wrong with their son. It seemed the others had also picked up on the notion that something was up with the base's only resident youngling when it appeared awfully quiet when he was around, many of the humans and Autobots were finding it hard to adjust to the fact that the normally noisy and exuberant Bluestreak had become quiet and somewhat withdrawn. Sergeant Epps had tried to make light of the situation since he was usually subjected to the youngling's long winded sentences and none too stop babbling, that he wished sometimes human children would come with a mute button much to the little grey mechlet's disgruntlement. Many suspected by the look Bluestreak had given Epps, that the youngling was already planning to get him back for his comment once he was able to talk again.

What caught everyone prepared during the few days the little grey mechlet was quiet, was when Red Alert approached Prowl and Jazz that morning and volunteered to watch over their creation, a few knew the real reason the security director offered to look after Bluestreak was due to the fact that the youngling couldn't talk up a storm. Both the 2IC and 3IC agreed to the red and white mech's request, although the pair of them had been taken by complete surprise that Red Alert had even asked in the first place. The little grey mechlet was a little reluctant to leave his parents side since it had been an exceptionally long time he had been in the presence of the security director, but he none the less followed the red and white mech to the base's security monitoring room clutching his favoured stuff toy to his chest plates. Bluestreak followed Red Alert into the slightly dimmed room and glanced around, although his baby blue optics fell upon the numerous monitor screens, the youngling was then taken by surprise when he was plucked off the floor and settled into one of the chairs.

"You can stay there as long as you promise not too touch anything." The security director told him, the little grey mechlet nodded in agreement and settled back in the chair. The red and white mech scrutinised him for a moment longer before he retreated to his own seat and immediately began checking through the security logs. Bluestreak vented a sigh as his shoulders slumped and his sensory panels drooped, he idly picked at the blue ribbon around the bears neck before something caught his attention from the corner of his optics. The youngling glanced at the screens with a frown working its way onto his facial plates as he watched each of them closely, then … there! Something small quickly scurried around the corner of one of the many corridors, although it moved too fast for him to make out what it was exactly. Bluestreak glanced at Red Alert as he chewed his bottom lip component, he was somewhat indecisive about whether or not he should tell the security director, however he knew that the red and white mech didn't like being disturbed whilst he was working, so the youngling decided to remain quiet for now and see if the 'thing' appeared again. However the little grey mechlet didn't see it again and was becoming increasingly bored as the morning dragged on, he was beginning to regret not bringing his game pad with him and had to settle with doodling upon the pad his carrier had given him. Although it seemed Primus finally decided to take pity on him and offer an opportunity to stretch his legs when Red Alert stated that they were leaving, Bluestreak hopped off the chair and dutifully followed the security director out of the room. The youngling watched as the red and white mech locked the doors before stepping away, the little grey mechlet fell into step next to him as they made their way down the corridor.

As they passed through the inter-connecting corridors on their way to wherever they were going, Bluestreak heard Red Alert mumble to himself mostly about breach in protocols and an overdue security upgrade. The youngling had no idea what either of them meant but he suspected that whatever they were, they would without a doubt occupy ridiculous amounts of his father's time, and annoy the hell out of his twin guardians particularly Sideswipe. However the little grey mechlet's thoughts were drawn away from his current line of thinking when his sensory panels flickered back and forth on his back, Bluestreak glanced over his shoulder and spotted something scuttle around the corner. The youngling frowned at that before he glanced up at the security director who was still muttering to himself, he hadn't even noticed that the little grey mechlet wasn't following him any more. Bluestreak vented a frustrated sigh, being vocally silenced was beginning to get on his nerves especially since he couldn't warn anyone of the strange creature that had gotten into the base. The youngling glanced at the red and white mech's retreating back before he decided to break the golden rule; never to venture off on his own. With his processor clearly made up the little grey mechlet deposited his stuffed toy next to the wall before hastily making his way to the end of the corridor and disappearing around it.

Bluestreak hastily made his way through the inter-connecting hallways, ignoring all the curious looks he was getting from the human base personnel when he passed them, he was surprised that none of them were chasing the critter but then it depended on whether they had seen it. Then when he rounded the next corner he immediately stopped in his tracks, at the bottom of the corridor was a set of security doors and the creature he had been following. The youngling felt his fuel pump skip a beat and his spark begin to pulse erratically as his baby blue optics fell upon the large crab he feared so much, and his uncle Barricade liked to shoot. However a frown soon appeared upon the little grey mechlet's facial plates as he watched one of the crab's claws transform into some kind of tool, Bluestreak ducked down the corridor he had just left and poked his head around the corner. The youngling watched as the critter scuttled up the wall to the access panel like there was nothing to it, the robot crab then ripped off the panel and immediately began rearranging and changing the layout of wires and components inside. The little grey mechlet was so preoccupied with what the crab was doing, that he didn't hear the footsteps behind him until a clawed hand fell on one of his shoulder struts. Bluestreak spun round, nearly tripping over his own peds in the process before he came face to face with a familiar black and white frame, the youngling glanced up sheepishly as four crimson optics settled upon him.

Barricade quirked an optic ridge at his nephew "Bluestreak what are you doing down here? And where is your caretaker?"

The little grey mechlet twiddled his thumbs nervously especially once he noticed that his uncle was holding a weapon in his right hand _{I was following one of those evil crabs uncle 'Cade, except it wasn't a crab, it was a robotic one and it opened up that panel.}_ He pointed in the direction of said panel.

The shock trooper glanced around the corner to see the critter slip through the doors before they slid shut, so he had been right and with Bluestreak confirming his suspicions about the drone, now he knew there was an intruder on the base. However he did have to laugh since the drone that contained hardly any sentience if none at all, had managed to sneak past the intricate and sensitive sensor net the Autobots had set up around the island.

"Blue you know you shouldn't be wandering around the base on your own." Barricade lightly admonished the youngling, he watched as the little one's sensory panels drooped "but since you're down here anyway you might as well come with me." The little grey mechlet perked up at that and quickly moved to stand beside the shock trooper, the Mustang shook his head in amusement before he began moving forward with Bluestreak close behind him. Barricade easily bypassed the tampered door and the pair continued down through the inter-connecting corridors that were usually devoid of any kind of life, the shock trooper was not in the least bit surprised when the crab slipped into the tactical planning room once it had bypassed the door controls. The Mustang snorted, were his former faction that dense to believe his brother would just leave any and all of his tactical plans lying around? Barricade easily overrode the doors access codes stating to Bluestreak at the same time he was never to copy what he was doing least he wanted to end up in big trouble, then the pair of them stepped into the dimply lit room. The Mustang wasted no time in firing upon the critter just before it could jack into the system, the single plasma round easily destroyed the drone and Barricade couldn't help the smug sense of satisfaction overcome him, that was until the base alarms sounded and a loud click signalled the door had just been locked.

"Frag it all to the pit and back!" The shock trooper cursed loudly as he began to pace back and forth. Bluestreak frowned at the black and white mech before plonking his aft on the floor and folding his arms across his chest plates, he and his uncle were going to end up in big trouble for this.

**Elsewhere in the base ….**

Red Alert was frantic, in fact scratch that he was beyond frantic and nearly glitching with concern, worry and paranoia. The security director began to uncharacteristically berate himself for losing track of Bluestreak, and was now concerned for the youngling's well-being since a military base no matter how well he knew it, was not a safe place for the little grey mechlet especially now that the base alarms were sounding. The red and white mech logged onto the security network to get an update on what was going on only to fall into full panic mode when the internal sensors had detected a single shot being fired in the tactical analysis room. The lock down protocols were issued a few seconds later and now the instigator and whomever they had shot were now trapped in the same room as one another. A report sprung up in his HUD that Ironhide and Major Lennox and his team were on their way down there now, Red Alert muttered to himself, looking for Bluestreak would have to wait until this situation had been dealt with first.

The security director quickly made his way through the inter-connecting corridors, meeting up with Ironhide and Major Lennox's team on the way there. The weapons specialist raised a single optic ridge when he noticed that a particular someone appeared to be missing from the red and white mech's side, but he neglected to say anything about it as no doubt Red Alert would have an explanation for the little one's absence. The group moved quickly through the hallways until they reached the tactical analysis room, Red Alert shot Ironhide a glare and gave him a lecture about compromising the base's security when the weapons specialist powered up his weapons intending to take out the doors. The security director overrode the lock down protocols with practised ease before the doors slid open, Ironhide and the Major's team swept into the room first the moment the doors slid open.

"What the frag is going on here?" The weapons specialist demanded.

The red and white mech swept into the room a few seconds later although he quickly became rooted to the spot when his optics fell upon the scene before him, he was taken by complete surprise to see Bluestreak there, the youngling still sat on the floor with his arms folded across his chest. However the second his gaze fell on Barricade pacing back and forth, his circuits began working overtime until he felt the beginnings of a processor glitch.

The GMC Top kick cocked his head to the side in an imitation of an eye roll when he saw Red Alert begin to glitch before he returned his attention back to the shock trooper and the little grey mechlet "So do you want to tell me what the slag happened here?" Ironhide nodded his helm in the direction of the scorched console.

"I eliminated a threat that came in the form of one of those pesky crabs that infest this island." The Mustang responded as his crimson gaze fell upon the weapons specialist briefly.

"Barricade ..." Major Lennox began ready to deliver the same lecture he had given to the ex-con on numerous occasions. However he never had the chance too when Bluestreak quickly scrambled up onto his peds.

"Not .. real one." The youngling told them, surprising not only the other Cybertronians and the humans but himself as well. The little grey mechlet clapped his hands over his mouth plates completely shocked by the words leaving his vocaliser before the widest grin appeared upon his facial plates "YAY!" He shouted although his voice was still filled with a little static, both Ironhide and Barricade couldn't help but chuckle at Bluestreak's excitement about getting his voice back. The humans were also relieved at seeing the youngling happy again, although a couple of them mumbled about how much quieter it had been the last few days particularly during movie nights, after all the little grey mechlet had a habit of talking through any film they watched.

Bluestreak bounced up to the shock trooper, his sensory panels fluttering upon his back "I wanna find ..cle Sides .. uncle Sunny ..ease pretty please."

"After I take you to see Ratchet." The Mustang told his nephew.

The youngling made a face at that suggestion "Not the … Hatchet." Then he showed his displeasure at the though by running over to the doors before turning to face Barricade "have to cat.. me first." The youngling slipped out of the doors and disappeared, the shock trooper vented a sigh out of his intakes.

The weapons specialist chuckled as he clapped the Mustang on the back of one of his shoulders "Have fun."

"Thanks." Barricade growled as he stalked over to the doors and stepped out into the corridor, he was seriously getting too old for this slag but none the less he went after the exuberant little grey mechlet in hopes that he might be able to drag the little one's pint sized aft down to the med-bay without any fuss.

_**A/N** *based upon my own experience believe it or not, yep I ran straight into a wall, bearing in mind I was only six or seven at the time lol. Anyway another down, next up: Of Sparklings and Primes, yes Optimus snuck in and demanded another one shot again lol._

_Read & Review!_


	25. Of Sparklings and Primes

_**Title:**__ Of Sparklings and Primes_

_**Rating:**__ K+_

_**Universe:**__ Transformers PostMovie07_

_**Characters: **__ Sparkling Bluestreak, Prowl, Jazz, Optimus Prime and ensemble_

_**Pairings: **__ProwlxJazz_

_**Warnings:**__ complete and utter fluff_

_**Disclaimer: **__Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition_

_**Summary: **Optimus plus Bluestreak plus paint equals ... well need I say more?_

_Request for __**Renegadewriter8**__ who planted this idea in my head a little while back, sorry it took so long and I hope you enjoy hun!_

Jazz made his way through the interconnecting corridors of the Diego Garcia base, so far his morning had been far from dandy due to a certain little sparkling. Bluestreak had woken early and nearly screamed the entire base down to get his parents attention, both the saboteur and Prowl had floundered out of recharge and rushed on unsteady peds to their sparkling's room. It had turned out that the infant had rolled over onto his back at some point during his recharge and one; couldn't turn over and get up to sit up and two; the pressure of his weight upon the vulnerable and sensitive joints of his panels was enough to cause him considerable discomfort. So the bonded pair ended up commencing their usual daily tasks before they headed onto duty allot sooner than they would have liked, in fact it was supposed to have Prowl's turn to take Bluestreak to Optimus Prime's office that morning, but the sparkling was in a particular fussy mood and refused to allow his father to even pick him up. Jazz knew his mate had been upset slightly by that, after all the tactician and their creation had a strong father/son bond, but the saboteur simply told him not too take it personally and without a doubt Bluestreak would be clamouring for his attention at the end of the day.

The Solstice was drawn out of his thoughts at the almost grumbled warble his son gave as they approached the Autobot leader's office, the silver mech chuckled at that Bluestreak always reminded him of his mate when Prowl was in one of his moods that usually translated as 'annoy me and you'll end up in the brig for a lengthy period of time'. Jazz glanced up when the door for his commander's office came into view, he stopped outside and hit the keypad before he heard a faint 'come in'. The doors whooshed open and the 3IC stepped inside to find Optimus sat at his desk looking positively bored out of his mind, the Autobot commander glanced up and a smile appeared upon his lip components at seeing his head of special ops and the sparkling in the silver mech's arms.

"Sorry boss bot we're runnin' a little late this mornin', thin's just haven't been goin' th' way we want them too are they lil Blue." Jazz directed those last few words at the grouchy infant whose optic ridges were drawn downwards in a frown.

"Don't worry Jazz I understand." The Prime replied as he stiffly pushed himself out of his chair and made his way around to the other side of his desk "and I've happened to have notice that someone doesn't look all that cheerful this morning."

The saboteur vented a sigh "No he's not, he didn't exactly wake up in the best of manners, so I'm gonna apologise in advance if he's a little grumpy."

"It'll be fine Jazz, I've dealt with grumpy mechlings before, in fact I still have to put with temperamental mechs even now." The semi Peter-built told the Solstice as he pushed himself off his desk and approached the smaller mech.

Jazz vented a small sigh "I know you have sir, its just that I've seen mechs dump an' run like their afts are on fire when lil Blue starts."

"I promise you I won't do that." Optimus replied as he held his arms out so the saboteur could deposit Bluestreak in his arms, the Solstice hesitantly passed him over to his commander, not because he didn't want too, he was just concerned that the sparkling would react the same way he did when Prowl had tried to pick him up. Surprisingly though the infant went quietly and even snuggled into the Prime's chest plates when the semi Peter-built drew his arms in, both Jazz and Optimus were taken somewhat by surprise and the saboteur quickly shut his mouth plates before he commented on it and jinxed it. The Prime nodded his helm in the direction of the door which the Solstice took as a gesture for him to disappear, the silver mech shook his head in amusement as he did exactly that, once he had handed over his creation's carry round bag and play mat to his leader.

The semi Peter-built watched his 3IC leave his office before he made his way across to the couch, he knelt down in front of it whilst ignoring the twinge in his side before he gently set Bluestreak down upon his little grey backside. The sparkling simply warbled at him and his little sensory panels flickered, but the infant made no move to claim any of the toys the Autobot leader was setting down and around him. Over the next five minutes Optimus watched as the infant's mood began to darken considerably no matter what he did to try and amuse Bluestreak, then just as the Prime was beginning to run out of options and out of time as that adorable bottom lip component began to tremble, the semi Peter-built came across his saving grace; the sparkling's favourite musical rattle. The large red and blue mech plucked it out of its slot and gave it a shake, the beautiful melody emanated from the toy immediately had the infant's attention. Optimus chuckled as Bluestreak thrust his arms out, his diminutive hands making grabbing motions when his baby blue optics fell upon his favourite toy. The Prime readily handed it over and immediately the sparkling's whole demeanour changed from distressed to happy within seconds. The little grey mechling chirped and cooed as he gave the rattle a good shake before he promptly tried to stick it in his mouth, Optimus shook his head in amusement, at least he had managed to improve Bluestreak's mood considering the grump he had been in earlier. With one sparkling now distracted, the Prime stiffly pushed himself up from his crouched position and began making his way back to his desk, however he had only made it half way when he heard a distressed warble coming from the couch, the semi Peter-built glanced over and couldn't help but smile when he saw the infant holding his arms out to him.

Optimus obliged him by picking him up and settled him in the crook of his left arm, then once Bluestreak was comfortable the Prime made his way over to his desk and sat down. The semi Peter-built placed the sparkling in his lap making sure to keep his arm behind him at all times so he didn't take a tumble out of the large red and blue mech's lap, then he turned his attention to the pile of data-pads until he heard a curious warble come from the infant. Optimus glanced down at the infant to see the bitlet's baby blue optics gazing curiously at the piece of flexiseal covering a laser burn upon his right side, the sparkling pointed at it as he looked up at the Prime whilst concerned clicks and chirps escaped his vocaliser.

The semi Peter-built smiled reassuringly at Bluestreak "I'm fine Blue, it was just a lucky shot an evil mechanoid managed to get in." The sparkling chirped at him, his sensory panels waving back and forth before he glanced down and gently patted the wound. The smile upon Optimus' lip components widened at the gesture from the infant, then a chuckle escaped him when he spotted Bluestreak trying to reach a stray data-pad, the Prime moved it out of the way then picked up another one he knew to be empty before it gave it to the sparkling. The infant squealed as he clutched his new toy to his chest plates before he dropped it into his lap and began patting the screen, the semi Peter-built chuckled as he watched Bluestreak amuse himself with the data-pad, particularly more so when he saw the bitlet's sensory panels fluttering upon his back. With the sparkling now amusing himself by writing gibberish upon the pad, Optimus was finally able to sit back and pick up one of the reports that were awaiting his attention. Surprisingly after a few minutes, the infant dropped off into recharge for his mid-morning nap, the Prime smiled down at Bluestreak and gently rearranged him so the sparkling would be a little more comfortable before the semi Peter-built turned his attention once again back to the data-pads.

Optimus managed to read through a few data-pads that had been sitting on his desk before he heard a sleepy warble, he glanced down and smiled when he saw dimly lit baby blue optics staring up at him "Enjoy your nap?" Bluestreak chirred softly at him before he attempted to pull himself up into a sitting position. The sparkling twittered in frustration when his sensory panels thwarted his attempts until the Prime pushed him up "you'll get the hang of it eventually little Blue." The infant chirped at him in response before he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, the semi Peter-built watched as the little grey mechling crawled across his left thigh and peered over the edge, a long low whistle escaping the bitlet's vocaliser at the same time. Understanding what Bluestreak wanted, Optimus shifted his chair back, plucked the sparkling off his lap and gently set him on the floor. The Prime watched in amusement as the happy clicking and cooing infant crawled away from him to the couch where the little grey mechlet used the piece of furniture to pull himself up with. Knowing Bluestreak couldn't get up to any mischief, the semi Peter-built left the sparkling to his own devices so he could finish reading the energy consumption report. However he had only managed to read a couple of sentences when he heard a clatter upon the floor, the large red and blue mech glanced across and let a small sigh escape him, the infant had effectively dumped the contents of his carry round bag upon the couch and the floor and was now examining a box full of energon goodies.

Optimus quickly pushed himself up from his seat and within a few long strides, made it over to the couch "Ah, ah let me have those little mechlet." The Prime rumbled as he plucked the box out of the sparkling's hands, after all the last thing he wanted was for Bluestreak to get into the box and tuck into the goodies as he was pretty sure neither Prowl or Jazz would appreciate a sick or hyperactive sparkling retuned to them. So he had no choice but to take the confectionery away from the infant, however the little grey mechlet voiced his disapproval by whimpering unhappily. The semi Peter-built easily conceded defeat and pried open the lid, he plucked one of the treats out and held it in front of Bluestreak. The sparkling's demeanour changed the second he realised that he had gotten his own way, the infant took the proffered treat and held it in both hands whilst he swayed unsteadily upon his feet. Optimus quickly sub-spaced the others before he glanced down at the noisily clicking and chirping sparkling as Bluestreak picked apart the goodie rather than nibble on it. The Prime shook his head in amusement as he made his way over to his desk picking up the pad he had given to the infant earlier, then gathered a couple of reports as well after he opted to sit on the floor. However he decided to wait and see what the little grey mechlet did with his treat first, although he didn't have to wait long as Bluestreak deposited the broken pieces on the couch, but not before promptly stuffing a bit into his mouth first. The semi Peter-built waited for the sparkling to plop down onto his aft before he removed the now sticky broken pieces off the chair and set them on the back of the data-pad.

"Now you're all sticky." The large red and blue mech rumbled as he sat down upon the floor in front of the couch, the infant chirped at him in acknowledgement of the state of his fingers but he didn't look up to meet the larger bot's gaze "what would your parents say?" Actually that was a good question Optimus mused as he watched Bluestreak flick one of his hands only to get little droplets of melted energon goodie upon other parts of his frame. The Prime knew Jazz wasn't all that fussy about the sparkling getting dirty during playtime as long as his creation was returned to him clean and presentable, whilst Prowl preferred his son to remain as clean and tidy as possible despite the fact that he knew his creation was going to get mucky whether he wanted him to or not. The semi Peter-built was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard Bluestreak warbling to himself, then he felt one of the sparkling's sticky hands latch onto one of his side armour plates followed by a distinct tug as the infant used it to pull himself up with. Optimus chuckled as he knew he would never get any work done now that Bluestreak was determined to use him as a climbing frame, the sparkling used various parts of his armour to hold onto or as leverage whilst happily clicking and chirping to himself, the little one's sensory panels fluttered and would every now and again upset his already precarious balance. The Prime grunted when Bluestreak planted a foot heavily into various parts of his chassis before the sparkling dropped heavily onto his right shoulder strut and began warbling at something behind him.

"What are you after little one?" The semi Peter-built inquired as he turned slightly to see what the infant was trying to reach for, Optimus grumbled in displeasure when he saw Bluestreak trying to reach for the nearest paint pot since he knew exactly what would happen the instant the little one managed to get his hands on it. However the Prime knew he couldn't deny the sparkling so he shifted onto his knees and picked up a couple of the paint pots. The infant squealed in delight and wiggled to be put down, the semi Peter-built shook his head in amusement and gently deposited Bluestreak upon the floor before prying the lids off the pots and setting them down in front of the sparkling. The infant wasted no time in dipping his fingers in the paint and liberally coating them whilst the large red and blue mech grabbed the book of paper, opened it and set it down in front of the mechlet. Bluestreak turned his attention from examining his paint coated fingers to the open pad, the noisy clicking and chirping changing into squeals, giggles and a plethora of different noises.

Optimus chuckled at the exuberant sparkling as he dabbed and patted the paper creating smudges and distorted hand prints, he was relieved that despite the sour mood the infant had been in when Jazz had brought him to the Prime, the little grey mechling was overall happy and the semi Peter-built hoped it would stay that way until the little one's parents came to collect him. It wasn't due to the fact the large red and blue mech didn't know what to do with an upset sparkling or couldn't contend with one, after all he could easily recall some of Bumblebee's tantrums when he was small. Optimus dipped the tips of his fingers into one of the paint pots and began drawing different shapes on the paper, Bluestreak warbled in curiosity whilst his little sensory panels waved lazily back and forth on his back as he watched the Prime. Then the sparkling attempted to copy the shapes and the basic pictures, but only succeeded in creating a bigger mess which migrated from the paper to not only armoured plating but to the front of the couch after Bluestreak decided to use it to pull himself up with.

The rest of the morning went quickly and both Optimus and Bluestreak ended up covered in paint smudges and chalk dust, not too mention bits of furniture in the Prime's office had also succumbed to the same fate. The semi Peter-built knew he was going to have one heck of a time cleaning up the hand-prints and smudges, although he was half tempted to rope one of the sparkling's parents into helping him. After all they were the ones who had left or had forgotten about the art tools being in their creation's carry round bag. The large red and blue mech was drawn out of his thoughts in regards to which of his Lieutenants he could cajole into helping him clear up his office later when he heard someone ping his comm. link almost incessantly.

"Prime here."

_::Finally took you slagging long enough.::_ Ratchet growled at him from the other end.

"Apologies Ratchet I was somewhat distracted, what can I do for you?" Optimus glanced over when he heard Bluestreak squeal only to shake his head in bemusement as the sparkling was happily pounding a chalk stick into the floor.

_::I hope you're not too distracted to remember that you're supposed to be reporting to the rec. room for your next ration.::_ The CMO reminded him.

The Prime cocked his head to the side in an imitation of an eye roll "No I'm not and I shall be making my way there momentarily."

_::Good as I don't want to come up there and drag you out by one of your antennae, although I'm sure Bluestreak would find it amusing if I did.::_ Ratchet responded.

"No, no I'm quite capable of getting there under my own power." The semi Peter-built told him as he pushed himself up onto his peds.

_::I'm glad to hear it as right now I'm in the middle of digging twigs out of Hound's glitching aft.:: _The CMO replied irritably.

Optimus raised a single optic ridge at that as he plucked Bluestreak off the floor, the sparkling immediately protested by twittering angrily but he was easily distracted by his musical rattle "Dare I ask?"

The chartreuse mech vented a sigh _::I don't think you need too, and youngling I will be up there later this afternoon to run a scan since you missed out on your fragging appointment this morning.::_

The Prime was about to open his mouth plates to make a comment about being called a youngling, however Ratchet had severed the comm. link before he could do so. The semi Peter-built vented a sigh and abruptly turned and made his way out of his office with no regards as to his or the infant's appearance. As the large red and blue mech made his way through the base to the recreation room, he couldn't help but be amused by the looks and stares he received from the passing humans, after all it wasn't a daily occurrence that one got to see the Autobot leader sporting chalk marks and multi-coloured hand-prints on parts of his armoured plating. Along the way he received a comm. from Red Alert who sounded very on the verge of glitching as he demanded to know where the twins were and what kind of prank they had just pulled. Optimus chuckled to himself whilst ignoring the soft _thumps_ of the rattle against his armoured chest plating, he calmly explained to his near pedantic security director that the state of his armour had been caused by a certain sparkling getting too enthusiastic in his painting and drawing before he terminated the link. The Prime understood the red and white mech's paranoia since the twins had been exceptionally quiet as of late, and to suddenly see the Autobot leader and the base's youngest member covered in paint was enough cause for alarm. However he simply pushed it to the back of his processor as he stepped into the rec. room and made his way over to the dispenser, on the way over he heard several snickers of laughter and surprised gasps from the humans who were on their lunch break.

"You know I thought the idea of giving kids paper to paint on was supposed to prevent that kind of thing from happening." Came the familiar voice of Major Lennox.

The semi Peter-built let a smile tug at the corners of his lip components as he turned and glanced down to see Will and Sergeant Epps "That is the general idea, yes."

"For a second there I though Sideswipe had been up to no good." Epps said as he gestured to the multi-coloured hand-prints upon Optimus' armoured plating with his half eaten sandwich "'cept it looks like lil Blue got you instead."

The Prime chuckled "Unfortunately Red Alert believed the same had happened until I informed him differently, and yes I mistakenly allowed Bluestreak access to his paints."

"You know Prowl will blow a fuse if he sees the state of his son?" The Major pointed out as he gestured to the noisy clicking and chirping Bluestreak who was happily gumming his fingers "even though he should know by now that kids tend to get dirty regardless of whether you want them too or not."

"I'm aware of that and Bluestreak will be clean before his father sees him." The Prime told them as he gently removed the sparkling's fingers from his mouth, although the infant chirred at him in irritation and promptly stuffed them back in "I do not wish to experience the repeat of last time."

Epps shuddered as he easily recalled the incident "Yea remind me to send a memo the next time Hound and Trailbreaker decide to take sparklet on one of their excursions, in fact I don't think Prowl has even forgiven them yet for allowing Blue to get covered in mud."

Lennox chuckled "Oh man I remember that, I thought the mech was gonna fritz and Jazz pass out from laughing too much."

"Anyway Major, Sergeant I better get Blue back to the office before word gets back to his sire that he's dirty." The semi Peter-built replied as he bounced the little grey mechling in his arms.

"Go man before you get your aft chewed out by your 2IC." Epps told him. The large red and blue mech threw them a brief salute before he headed out of the recreation room and back to his office, he knew Bluestreak was becoming hungry as the bitlet continued to gum his fingers and was making the recognised humming noise too. Optimus quickened his pace as he knew from previous experience how grumpy and demanding a hungry sparkling could get, the Prime rounded the corner and input the code to his office, he stepped inside only to pause in his stride when his azure gaze fell upon a particular black and white frame. A sheepish look made its way onto his facial plates when Prowl raised a single optic ridge at his appearance, although a small barely interpretable frown was slowly drawing his optic ridges down.

"Was there something you wanted Prowl?" The semi Peter-built inquired as he stepped past the tactician and made his way over to the couch, he gently deposited Bluestreak upon it and quickly located the sparkling's energon just as he began whimpering for it.

The Dodge Charger quickly recovered his senses and turned to glance at his commander "Sorry sir, just a couple of mission specs that require your approval." Optimus nodded as he took the data-pads from his chief tactical officer, he hadn't expected to see Prowl so soon in the day, but now that the tactician was here he couldn't help but be amused by the expression upon his facial plates.

"Seems that I will need to have a word with Jazz about the paints." The Dodge Charger grumbled as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Don't worry about it Prowl besides its been an interesting morning." The Prime told him without looking up from the data-pads "and before you say anything I will have him cleaned up momentarily."

The tactician promptly closed his mouth plates and instead turned his attention to his creation who was happily beating the life out of his sippy cup, the black and white mech was somewhat thankful for the fact it was sparkling proof although that term was often tested to its limits by the infant. The Dodge Charger sat down upon the edge of the couch fully aware of his leader watching him from the corner of his optic, he quickly rescued the sippy cup before the energon ended up everywhere and handed Bluestreak something else to play with instead. The sparkling however abandoned the toy he had been given as he clicked and chirped happily at his father whilst trying to pull himself up with the back cushions, he then attempted to make his way along the couch to his sire. Prowl allowed a small smile to quirk his lip components as the sparkling couldn't decided whether to focus his attention upon fluttering his little sensory panels or walking to his father. In the end the tactician plucked his son up off the couch and held him suspended in front of him, the infant squealed and began laughing as he kicked out with his feet.

"I'm glad to see him in a much better mood than the one he was in this morning." The Dodge Charger said as he drew Bluestreak in and nuzzled his creation's nasal plates with his own sending the infant into fits of giggles. The black and white mech stood and neatly tossed the little grey mechlet into the air before catching him.

"To be honest I was concerned I wouldn't be able to get him out of his grump." Optimus told his 2IC as he signed off on the last report before he traded them for the sparkling.

Prowl flicked his door wings as he sub-spaced the data-pads "Unlike his carrier, Bluestreak can be coaxed out of a bad mood with the least amount of prompting."

The Prime chuckled "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

A smirk graced the tactician's lip components before it faded "I better get going or I'll only have Jazz complaining that I spend too much of my time working later." The Dodge Charger smoothed a white clawed hand over his creation's helm which earned him a contented purr before he turned and left.

The semi Peter-built watched as his CTO left his office before he turned and his attention to the still dirty little grey mechlet, he stepped over to the couch and settled Bluestreak upon it then quickly located a wash cloth and the cleaning solution in the bag. Surprisingly the sparkling remained still whilst he cleaned him, although Optimus knew that the rest of the energon goodie the infant had abandoned earlier, was currently serving as a good enough distraction. Once that task was completed, Bluestreak attempted to shuffle off the couch, the Prime watched him closely and was slightly surprised to see the sparkling manage to ease himself onto his peds before lowering himself onto his hands and knees and set off exploring. The semi Peter-built trained his sensors on the infant in order to keep an optic on him, although he turned his attention back to the abandoned reports, however like the previous times Optimus only got a few paragraphs into the report when he was drawn away from them, this time by distressed noises coming from Bluestreak. The Prime sighed as he put down the data-pad he had been reading before pushing himself up onto his peds and making his way over to where they were coming from. The semi Peter-built approached his desk and ducked his head under only to shake his head in amusement when he saw that Bluestreak had somehow managed to get himself wedged between the chair and the desk, his little grey backside stuck up in the air as he tried to shuffle backwards.

"Just like your carrier, always getting yourself stuck in awkward places." Optimus rumbled as he knelt down and pushed the chair out of the way so he could reach Bluestreak, the sparkling warbled indignantly at that statement and finally managed to turn around and plop onto his backside "come on little one." The Prime reached in and plucked the infant out but not before banging the top of his helm on the underside of the desk "frag." Bluestreak erupted into giggles as the semi Peter-built dropped back onto his aft whilst holding the sparkling out in front of him "you thought that was funny huh?" The infant clapped his hands together and chirped loudly in response.

"I know I did." Came a reply from the other side of the desk, the red and blue mech glanced up to see Ratchet stood there with his arms folded across his chest, a single optic ridge raised.

"Well I'm glad you found it amusing at my expense Ratchet." Optimus grumbled at the CMO as he awkwardly picked himself up from the floor, he sent a light glare in the Hummer's direction when he saw the smirk upon the other's lip components "what can I do for you Ratchet?"

"Hopefully submit quietly to a couple of scans I need to run." The CMO told him as he waved the scanner he had in one of his hands at the Prime "I did tell you I'd be up here this afternoon."

"I know, I remember." The semi Peter-built responded as he set Bluestreak down upon the couch, then placed several of the sparkling's toys around him. Once that was done, the large red and blue mech made his way over to where Ratchet was still stood. The Autobot leader submitted quietly to the scans and the not so gentle poking of his healing wounds.

"Well everything is fine, you'll be back to beating Megatron senseless within the next few days." The CMO told him as he sub-spaced the scanner "but until then just continue with the instructions I gave you, and there shouldn't be any set backs."

Optimus quirked an optic ridge "Shouldn't?"

"Well you have been running around after a ten month old sparkling when you should be resting." The Hummer admonished his commander before his gaze drifted to the infant "speaking of whom."

The Prime glanced over to the couch and couldn't help but smile at the sight, Bluestreak had fallen into recharge surrounded by his toys, but it was the position in which he was lying in that had the two older mechs chuckling. The sparkling was currently curled up with his little backside stuck in the air, thumb in his mouth and his little sensory panels flattened against his back.

Ratchet gently nudged his leader in the side, a grin starting to form upon his lip components "Which of his parents do you think he takes after?"

The semi Peter-built gave the medic a funny look "I hope neither of them, although that does strike me more of a Jazz position ..." Optimus shook his head to rid himself of the images that suddenly appeared in his processor "... one thing I never thought I'd be discussing; the sleeping habits of my Lieutenants just because of the way their son recharges." The CMO let a snicker escape him as he patted one of the Prime's forearms before he turned and left his commander's office. The semi Peter-built shook his head in amusement as he watched the Hummer leave the room, then he stepped across to his desk and collected the small pile of neglected reports before making his way back to the couch and sat down in front of it. After all he knew Bluestreak would sleep for a good couple of hours allowing him to get through the data-pads. Surprisingly the sparkling slept for a little more than two hours before he on-lined again, however the infant was quite content to remain where he was and play with his toys. Whilst the sparkling amused himself, Optimus was able to get through the last of the reports, although every now and again he would turn around and give Bluestreak his full most attention and interact with him.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly into early evening and it wasn't long before the chime sounded throughout the Prime's office, the semi Peter-built called out a soft 'come in' as he cleared up the sparkling's toys and 'artwork' whilst the infant crawled across the floor with an energon goodie clutched in one fist. The doors whooshed open and Jazz stepped into the room, although he had to deviate from his current path least he wanted to trip over his son. The infant plopped back onto his backside and glanced up when he registered a new presence, Bluestreak squealed in excitement at seeing his carrier before a plethora of sparkling noises escaped the infant's vocaliser.

"Hey lil Blue." The saboteur greeted his creation before he plucked him off the floor and neatly tossed him into the air "have you been good fer uncle Optimus?"

"He's been exceptionally good." Optimus told the Solstice as he pushed himself up onto his peds and met his 3IC's gaze.

"I heard about th' paints." The silver mech said as he glanced at his son when the little grey mechlet began chirping and clicking noisily whilst gesturing wildly with his arms "and I have ta apologise fer forgettin' ta take them out."

The Prime waved the apology off "Don't concern yourself with it Jazz, its been a particularly enjoyable day."

"You know ya caused quite a stir amongst th' crew when ya made ya way ta through th' base covered in paint." Jazz told him with a grin upon his lip components.

The semi Peter-built chuckled "I can imagine."

"Anyway thanks fer havin' him today Optimus." The saboteur said as he bounced Bluestreak on his arms "an' I promise ta make sure that his paints aren't in th' bag next time ya wanna watch him."

"No problem Jazz." The large red and blue mech replied.

"Come on then bitlet, say bye ta Optimus." The Solstice encouraged his son, the sparkling glanced at the Prime giving him one of the biggest grins he could muster before he wiggled his fingers in a wave.

A smile appeared upon the semi Peter-built's lip components "Good night Blue, sweet dreams little one." Optimus smoothed a hand over the infant' helm gaining a contented purr from the little grey mechlet before he stepped back. The silver mech thanked his leader again then left the office once he had sub-spaced the play mat and carry round bag. The Prime watched him leave then moved over to his desk and sat down, leaning back in the comforts of the chair. Life around the base's youngest member was never without its moments and the semi Peter-built suspected there would be many more to come as the little grey mechlet grew.

_A/N: And another one down, there are five more to go(dang plot bunnies keep multiplying), but I'm gonna leave 'Growing Pains alone for now and focus my attention upon getting other fics updated aka Renascentia, Contemplation (for those who love Ratchet & Ironhide), and yes Out of the Ashes too, so look out for those!_

_Read & Review!_


	26. Of Younglings and All Hallows Eve

_**Title**: Of Younglings and All Hallows Eve_

_**Rating**: K+_

_**Universe**:G1 Verse_

_**Characters**:Youngling Bluestreak, Jazz, Prowl and ensemble_

_**Pairings**:ProwlxJazz and a few other pairings_

_**Warnings**:Fluff, slight use of profanities_

_**Disclaimer**:Not mine, I just like to toy with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition_

_**Summary**: Bluestreak experiences one of his spookiest Halloweens yet_

_A request fic for Gatecrasher12, hope you enjoy hun and sorry it wasn't posted on Halloween! And many of you will recognise the beginning of this fic, but I won't say anything further. And I know it's is a couple of days late, but real life has been really hectic hence my lack of updating the past month._

_{Blah} – Bond communication_

It had been one of those days Prowl surmised that he wished he hadn't bothered rolling out of the recharge berth that morning. The entire base had quite literally dissolved into a mad house with the preparations for the upcoming Halloween party that was held every year inside the Ark's recreation room. Red Alert was frantic about the increase of materials entering the base for the occasion, which meant the tactician received more and more reports from the security director about the numerous breaches in protocol, and a lecture about how it was his duty to prevent such rambunctious behaviour in the ranks. So Prowl had spent most of the day tracking down various members of the crew, checking over what ever they had brought in with them just so he could get Red Alert off his back.

The tactician had then spent the last leg of his shift going over what reports he could before dragging himself away from his office. Normally he would have kept working despite his mate's usual bugging, but he now had a new obligation to see too that he didn't have eight years ago. Prowl quickly made his way from his office to his shared quarters, along the way he heard the excited whispers about tomorrows festivities. He just hoped everything went according to plan for the sake of two mechs in particular, which meant he would have to keep an optic on the twins and the minibots lest they start a fight over anything. The black and white keyed in the code to his quarters and was about to step inside when his gaze fell upon the sight before him, on nearly every available surface was a pumpkin of various sizes, each with their own individual face carved into them. However only a few of the Jack O'lanterns that had been made so far sported the usual scary demonic faces, whilst others were completely the opposite. Now Prowl understood why his mate had badgered him about the extra supply of pumpkins this year, as a few had not survived the carving process and were stacked in a sloppy sticky mess beside the small crate that was now nearly empty. However the sight of the lanterns compared nothing to the two mechs sat upon the floor surrounded by pumpkins in various stages of being gutted or carved.

Prowl stepped into the room making sure to not to make a sound as he watched his bonded and their creation share the task of readying the pumpkins for the Halloween party tomorrow evening. Bluestreak was lounged pressed close to his spark carrier happily chatting to himself and on the occasion to his daddy as he spooned out the middle of the pumpkin, although he managed to get more of the orange flesh on himself than in the bowl beside him. Then once the grey youngling was done with that task he would grab the black marker sat next to him and draw upon the outside of the orange fruit before passing it to Jazz for the saboteur to carve into.

"Evenin' love." Jazz greeted his spark-mate without even looking up from what he was doing, Prowl shook in his head amusement as Bluestreak's grey helm snapped up and immediately baby blue optics fell upon him. The youngling dropped what he was doing and scrambled to his feet, Bluestreak jumped over several of the scattered pumpkins as he ran toward his father. The tactician scooped up the little grey youngling despite the mess covering his plating and hugged him close.

"Have you been a good little mech?" Prowl asked as he glanced down at his son.

Bluestreak glanced at Jazz before returning his gaze to his sire "Yes father." The tactician looked at the saboteur for confirmation and was relieved when Jazz nodded, after all they had promised their creation that he could stay at the Halloween party a little longer this year, but only on the grounds that he was good. The youngling wiggled in order to be let down so Prowl obliged him, once Bluestreak was upon the floor, he trotted back over to where he had been sat previously. Although not without grabbing one of his father's hands and dragging him across the room and to the space Jazz had made in their living area. Once the tactician was sat down upon the floor, Bluestreak happily deposited himself in his lap and grabbed the pumpkin he had been scooping the innards out of.

_{Looks like you're not goin' anywhere.}_ Jazz transmitted through their bond.

_{It appears so.}_ Prowl replied as he smoothed a hand over his creation's helm _{I thought Sideswipe petitioned to do the pumpkins this year?}_

_{He did, but Blue turned the kicked turbo-puppy look on him, so he didn't have much of a choice but to relent.}_ Jazz replied. It was probably a good idea that Bluestreak had gotten his own way, after all both black and whites didn't want a repeat of last year where their creation refused to go into recharge, afraid zombies might get him.

_{Hmm the art of persuasion?_ _I wonder where he could have learned that from?}_ Prowl said as he sent a light glare in the saboteur's direction.

The smaller black and white pretended to be offended as he placed a hand upon the centre of his chest plate _{Certainly not from little olé me.}_

_{You are the slippery one after all.}_ The tactician told his bonded.

_{I've heard that vocaliser of yours, so don't give me that.}_ Jazz responded as he gave his bonded a playful light glare before it turned into one of surprise when Prowl flicked a spoonful of seeds and orange flesh in his direction "I saw that."

"Saw what?" Prowl asked feigning innocence before flicking another spoonful at his mate, Bluestreak stared in shock at his father before scrambling out of the way as his spark carrier returned 'fire' with his own ammunition. It wasn't long before all out 'war' was waged between the two black and whites and a little grey youngling, Bluestreak immediately teamed up with his daddy and began flicking pumpkin innards at his sire. Although an accidental miscalculation of angle trajectory aka the mess being flung in the wrong direction, ended up with the youngling teaming up with his father to get back at his carrier. Although soon enough it left three tired mechs desperately in need of a clean an hour later, not too mention the furniture and the walls.

The tactician glanced up from where he had collapsed upon the couch "Looks like we've got a mess to clear up."

Jazz grinned at him "No you have love, I'm goin' ta give Blue a bath." The saboteur scooped up a more than ready for recharge youngling and carried him toward the wash racks, leaving Prowl contemplating about where he should even start to clean up the mess caused by their impromptu 'fight'.

_{Alright but you owe me for this Jazz.}_ Prowl told his mate.

An amused chuckle filtered through the bond _{We'll see about that.}_

The tactician allowed a small smile to tug at his lip components before he turned to the mess he was faced with, he grimaced slightly unsure of where he should even start. The 2IC vented a sigh before reluctantly going to get a few items to begin cleaning. It took him a while and thankfully Jazz decided not to leave it all to him and stepped back into the room once he had put down their son for the night, although Prowl knew Bluestreak wouldn't fall into recharge until after his father had said goodnight to him. So the tactician decided to abandon his cleaning duties for a few brief minutes as he stepped into his son's room, a smile tugged at his lip components when his gaze fell upon his already deep in recharge creation. The youngling was curled up on his side facing the doorway, bundled up in his blankets and clutching his favourite stuffed toy close to his chest plates. The black and white mech quietly made his way over and knelt down beside his son, he smoothed a clawed hand over the little grey mechlet's helm before he placed a kiss upon the crest of Bluestreak's chevron.

"Night Blue." He whispered to his creation before he pushed himself up and made his way out of the room. His gaze settled upon his mate going about quietly clearing up the room and moving the pumpkins that had survived being gutted and carved to one area of the room. Prowl joined him a few seconds later and within half an hour they managed between them to the room tidy and presentable again, then Jazz grasped one of his hands and tugged him in the direction of their berth-room. The tactician happily complied as he felt exhaustion seeping into his frame and laid down upon their double sized berth, dropping off into recharge even before his helm hit the pillow.

**Following day …. **

Bluestreak woke early the following morning and wasted no time in clambering out of his berth and running from his room to his parents, both of whom were still deep in recharge. The youngling sniggered to himself as he crept quietly around the side and the bottom of his creators berth, he then clambered up onto it as slowly and as silently as he could before he finally pounced. Both of his parents were taken completely by surprise, and even voiced their disapproval of being woken up at such an early hour in the day, although the little grey mechlet ignored their grumbles as he announced quite loudly it was time for them to get up.

"Alright we're up Blue." Prowl grumbled at his son as he groggily on-lined, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and flicked his door panels in irritation, then he stretched to undo any kinks he had. The tactician watched in amusement as his creation proceeded to bounce on and around his spark-mate, the 2IC knew that if Bluestreak had been any other mech attempting to get Jazz out of recharge, the saboteur would have tossed them out on their afts by now with strict words that if they tried it again they would lose something very near and dear to them. Prowl had only ever once surprised the 3IC out of recharge and ended up on his back with an energon blade held to his throat, lucky enough Jazz was able to suppress those instincts that had been drummed into him back at the academy, as he didn't particularly want to have to explain to their son why his carrier had tried to kill him.

_{Remind me ta lock our door in th' future, don't think ma chassis can take bein' bounced on like this all th' time.} _The saboteur grumbled over the bond as he rolled over onto his front, dragging one of the berth's pillows out from under his helm only to settle on top of his horned helm in order to block out the excited trills of their creation.

The tactician chuckled _{And miss this every morning?}_

The smaller black and white peeked out from under the pillow and sent his mate a light glare _{Easy fer ya ta say, ya not th' one getting' bounced on.}_

The larger black and white mech's frame shook with mirth at seeing the youngling loudly exclaim that his carrier was taking too long in getting up _{This time round anyway.}_

"Glad ya find this amusin'." Jazz mumbled into the soft gel surface of the berth.

Prowl quickly reined in his laughter "Alright, alright come on Blue, let's leave your carrier to get up in his own time." The tactician led his son out of the room and into the living space where he immediately fell into the normal daily routine, the 2IC nudged his creation in the direction of the wash rack. Prowl knew Jazz always found it strange how he always had their son shower in the morning when he had a bath at night, particularly when Bluestreak hadn't been anywhere to get dirty besides being in recharge. However the tactician simply explained that even a speck of dust collecting in the fragile hinges of sensory panels could prove irritating, not too mention that the warm spray also relieved any aches and pains that may have worked their way into the joints through the night.

The 2IC watched as the happily chatting youngling made his way over to the shelving unit where he grabbed the usual supplies he knew was needed to get clean, whilst Prowl collected a few towels from the top of the same shelving unit and placed them close to the shower. Bluestreak's ceaseless talking continued whilst father and son showered even though the tactician was tempted to shut off his audio receptors just to give himself a few seconds of reprieve from his son's non-stop talking. The 2IC pushed himself up from where he had been knelt on the tiled floor so he could turn the facet off, he then grabbed a towel and wrapped his creation up in it before he grabbed one for himself and quickly dried off his plating, taking a few minutes to make sure that he didn't leave any smears or water marks, although reaching his door panels was always a problem but simply flicking them in towards his shoulders allowed him to dry them off as much as he could. Normally he would use the drying appliance since it made that task easier, but the youngling absolutely hated the loud noise and would refuse to step near it even if one of his parents was using it.

_{Sounds like he's talkin' ya audios off in there love.} _Jazz transmitted through the bond _{I suppose ya could call it retribution for ya laughin' at me bein' bounced on.}_

_{Hardly.} _Prowl responded as he drying his son's back plating and sensory panels whilst Bluestreak concentrated on the front _{although I am beginning to ponder if its possible for ones audio receptors to fritz from too much vocal input.}_

The saboteur chuckled _{I'll call Ratch an' tell him ta prepare for a 'gone deaf by too much talkin' headin' his way.}_

_{Very funny, although it would certainly explain your hard of hearing sometimes.} _The tactician told his mate with a small smug smile pulling at the corners of his lip components.

_{Don't make me come in there an' kick ya aft.} _The smaller black and white mech threatened good naturedly _{'sides what are ya doin' in there? Dryin' our son's armour ta th' point that he's a walkin' mirror or somethin'?}_

_{No, and we're on our way out now.} _The larger black and white informed his spark-mate as he set the towels on the heated drying rack before ushering his creation out of the wash rack, he immediately sent a light glare in Jazz's direction when he saw the small smirk forming upon the saboteur's lip components which quickly turned into a grin.

"Don't say a word." Prowl growled at his mate when he noticed that Bluestreak had gone quiet. Surprisingly the youngling remained quiet whilst he consumed his breakfast, but the second he had drained the last drops of energon, the little grey mechlet was back to talking again. Even when his father attempted to say goodbye to him before he headed onto duty, the smaller black and white couldn't help but snigger at the sigh of exasperation that escaped his bonded when their creation refused to pay attention for at least five seconds. Jazz always knew that if Bluestreak was talking like he was now, it showed that the youngling was in an exceptionally good mood and that there was nothing wrong with him. The saboteur escorted his son out of their quarters and toward the rec. room where he knew Blaster was likely to be. The comm. specialist had helped in the preparations of the Halloween party and was going to complete the finishing touches with the help of Bluestreak and a few other mechs who were off duty. The youngling surprisingly had always gotten on well with Blaster since the moment the little grey mechlet had been introduced to him, although Jazz suspected it was due to the fact that the comm. specialist was very much like him in personality. Bluestreak even enjoyed the company of the cassette twins Eject and Rewind as they would sit with him and teach him words and sentences from one of Earth's many languages, although he was still somewhat wary when it came to Steeljaw despite the fact his parents and Blaster had told him the felinoid wouldn't eat him.

Both creator and creation entered the rec. room which had been thoroughly decorated for the party that evening, and the furniture had been moved out of the way and to the side, although they were still accessible so bots could sit down and still have their morning ration. Jazz immediately spotted the comm. specialist stood in the middle of the room instructing a few less than amused mechs where pieces of furniture were to go or what decorations were to be hung where, Bluestreak had left his carrier's side the second they had stepped into the room and headed over to where a few of the Aerialbots had congregated.

"How's it goin'?" The saboteur inquired as he stood beside his closest friend whilst his gaze remained fixed upon his son's whereabouts.

Blaster glanced at the black and white mech "Near enough done, just gotta bring in those pumpkins you an' Blue were doin' yesterday an' we should be good ta go later."

"That's good ta hear, anyway ma mech sorry I couldn't help out wit' th' last of th' preparations." Jazz told the comm. specialist.

"Hey no problem, ya did most of the pre-plannin'." The primarily orange mech replied.

The saboteur clapped Blaster on the back of one of his shoulders, a small adorning his lip components "Well I better head on out 'fore I have old 'Hide hollerin' down th' comm. link wonderin' where I've got too, I'll pick up Blue before five an' I should warn ya now, he's in one of his talkative moods."

The comm. specialist chuckled at that "Got it."

The smaller black and white grinned at him before he made his way over to where Bluestreak was happily talking the audios off the fliers "See ya later Blue, be good." The youngling simply flicked his sensory panels in acknowledgement of what his daddy said as he continued chatting to his less than enthused listeners. Jazz chuckled at the looks he received from the Aerialbots, and simply wished them good luck before he made his way out of the recreation room.

**Late Evening ...**

It had become tradition, that every year, a Halloween party would take place upon the Ark. It was a good practise that allowed the crew time to unwind and to keep the troublemakers on the base. Of course every year some bot would always be the high light of the evening either through what outfit they had decided to adorn or what they did during the course of the night. And it seemed tonight was going to be no different. The party had been in full swing for half an hour now with various bots showing up in their home made costumes, although Hound and Mirage had cheated somewhat with theirs by using their different abilities to pull off their respective costumes. Sideswipe had found one very fitting of himself, all he had to do was add a red tail, a pitch fork and some extra red paint to complete his costume. Whilst Sunstreaker went as his opposite (despite how ironic it seemed with the gold front-liner going as an angel), although the gold Lamborghini had certainly put up a fight about it since he didn't want to mar his paint work in any way, however as per usual when it came to turning the stubborn twin around, Bluestreak was sent to convince them through any means possible aka giving him the kicked turbo-puppy look or pleading with him until he gave in.

Now they were just waiting for the small family unit to appear at the party. Smokescreen had already taken bets upon whatever outfit Jazz had decided to torture his mate into wearing for this Halloween party, since the saboteur had a habit of getting the larger black and white to wear some ridiculous outfits that nearly had Ironhide However the 3IC's spontaneous acts had been considerably toned down after the arrival of his and Prowl's creation, and had remained that way since his birth. So with every year that had passed, it seemed they weren't going to get any incriminating photos of Prowl as the tactician stepped into the room, although seeing a false fluffy tail stuck to his aft and two wolf like ears attached to either side of his helm.

There were a few sniggers from those assembled in the room at the sight of the 2IC, whilst others were counting their losses since it appeared that Jazz was sticking to the 'rules' about his and Prowl's costumes. The saboteur stepped into the rec. room not long after his spark-mate with Bluestreak close to his side, the 3IC wore a deep red sash tied around his hips that stood out against the black and white of his paint work. Jazz was also wearing a cape that had a high rise collar whilst the bottom of it had jagged edges, the two black and white's creation had been painted a temporary shade of light grey and had numerous painted wounds (courtesy of Sunstreaker's artistic skills) added to his derma-plating to make him resemble a zombie.

The saboteur sauntered across to his mate, a wide grin upon his facial plates "Those ears look real cute on ya Prowler." True to his costume, Prowl sent a light glare in the smaller black and white's direction before a low growl reverberated in the back of his throat at the comment. Jazz chuckled, he knew that if those false appendages had actually been a part of his mate, the tail would have been swishing agitatedly and the adorable ears flat against his helm. The saboteur glanced away from his mate to their creation as the youngling skipped his way over to where his twin guardians were "looks like Sideswipe found somethin' ta suit him perfectly, although I gotta admit Sunny's no angel."

The tactician also glanced over, a small chuckle escaping him "He most certainly has, and I have to say Sunstreaker is the more angelic of the pair."

The 3IC gave his spark-mate a disbelieving look "Okay who are ya an' what ya done wit' Prowl?" The 2IC cocked his head to the side in an imitation of a human rolling their eyes before he turned his attention to the science team sat conversing at the back of the recreation room.

"It appears the science team have been somewhat original with their costumes for tonight." Prowl pointed out as he gestured in their direction with a brief flick of his right hand "although it appears that Skyfire's armour suddenly became magnetised and attracted every nut and bolt in Grapple and Hoist's workshop."

Jazz sniggered at the sight of the Veritech as he and the tactician headed over to the table where a large bowl of mid-grade energon sat with cubes stacked beside it, and a few platters of different shaped energon treats "At least he doesn't look like he's been in a lab accident." The saboteur's gaze fell on Wheeljack as the engineer turned from the conversation he was having with Skyfire and Perceptor, to answer any and all questions Bluestreak might have had. The Lancia Stratos had acquired several tools and split them in half before adding them onto different areas of his frame with some blue paint surrounding the 'wounds', giving the impression that he had been involved in a nasty lab accident.

"I'm glad to see that nearly everyone has made the effort to attend in fancy dress." Came a voice from behind the two black and whites. The bonded pair turned and met the gaze of their leader, although the pair of them initially had to do a double take when they didn't quite recognise their leader at first.

"Yes sir." Jazz replied with a smile tugging at his lip components as he regarded his commander and th costume he was wearing "Phantom of th' Opera?"

"It was Ratchet's idea." Optimus responded as he gestured with his helm in the direction of where their resident CMO was "although I did suggest his and Ironhide's outfits for the night."

The saboteur immediately began sniggering at the sight of the white mech who was wearing an oversized lab coat and were they black rubber gloves the senior medic was wearing? "Oh man Ratch as Doctor Frankenstein and old 'Hide as the monster, nice one boss-bot."

"I'm glad you approve Jazz." The Prime replied "where's Bluestreak?" He scanned the room for the wayward youngling.

"He was with Wheeljack the last we saw of him." Prowl told his commander as he reached up to scratch at one of the false ears only to have his hand swiped away by his spark-mate, he cast the saboteur a light glare at being thwarted in the attempts to relieve an itch.

"So he is." Optimus replied when his azure gaze fell upon the happy chatting little grey mechlet before he turned his attention back to his two officers "well have fun whilst you have five minutes to yourselves, however you may want to rescue Wheeljack at some point."

"We will sir." The tactician replied before he was dragged away by his spark-mate to where Smokescreen and a few other mechs were setting up a card game.

Half way through the night, the music was dialled down to a background level and a small heat generator that was supposed to resemble camp fire was set up in the middle of the room. The bots had agreed to share scary stories they had been told when they were younglings as long as they weren't too frightening for their youngest member. Many of them sat upon the floor whilst others collected chairs as they prepared for the story telling, Bluestreak made himself quite comfortable in his carrier's lap and for good reason as the individual bots began telling their tales. With each one told, the youngling's grip tightened upon the armour plate he had hold of, and he snuggled in closer to his daddy's chassis for comfort and reassurance even though he knew that none of the stories were true. However he couldn't help but allow his imagination run wild with the ideas of gremlins getting into computers, a planet eating monster and undead mechanoids that feasted on a living bots processors. It also didn't help when his sensory panels kept twitching upon his back as they picked up something above him, it was even more irritating when he noticed that neither his father's or his uncle Smokescreen's door panels were doing the same thing as his were. His carrier glanced down at him a few times when he noticed his restlessness, but Bluestreak refused to tell him he was actually becoming quite scared and told his daddy he was okay. That was until he spotted something in the ventilation shaft above them right before the power went out.

"What the frag?" Someone demanded in the total pitch blackness of the room before the eerie red lighting came on when the emergency generator kicked in.

"Wasn't me this time." Wheeljack uttered as he held his hands up next to his helm when a couple of gazes drifted in his direction "but I bet there's a shorted out circuit board somewhere which has caused this blackout."

"Or sabotage." Cliffjumper unhelpfully added as he folded his arms across his chest, he cast a suspicious glance to where the special ops team were assembled.

"Cliffjumper." Optimus rumbled in warning before he turned to the group at large "has anyone been able to raise the command deck?" There was an immediate chorus of 'No sir's' from several mechs "alright we need to resolve this situation quickly, Wheeljack take anyone you need to locate and repair the problem." The engineer nodded and called Perceptor over before the pair of them left the room, they would collect both Grapple and Hoist from their workshop on the way down "Prowl, you and I will head to the command deck and get a sit. rep."

The tactician nodded "Yes sir."

"I suggest the rest of you remain here, or if you wish to return to quarters, I suggest that you do so accompanied by another mech." The Prime told the assembled group, he received various different confirmations from his fellow Autobots before he turned and followed his 2IC out of the room.

"Well that ruined a perfectly good evening." Sideswipe muttered as he slouched back in the chair he had been sat in, his arms folded across his chest plates.

"I'm sure its just a glitch Sides, 'Jack will have the power back on in a jiffy." Jazz told the red Lamborghini as he plucked Bluestreak up off the floor and settled him on his left hip. The saboteur took note of how restless his son was being, not too mention how he kept glancing up at the vents as if he was expecting something to crawl out of them and jump him. The 3IC knew his youngling had a creative imagination and was beginning to wonder whether telling him about things that went bump in the night, wasn't such a good idea despite how excited the little grey mechlet told him how excited he was about hearing them.

"Daddy what if the monster did it? What if they're out there now an' father an' Optimus an' Wheeljack don't know about them?" Bluestreak asked, looking downright worried and concerned that something might happen to his father and the other Autobots.

"Blue there are no such things as monsters ah promise ya." Jazz told his son.

"But...but..." The youngling began to protest as his gaze flickered around the room, searching for anything that appeared out of the ordinary.

"Blue ya dad's right, sides if there were anythin' out there it would never get past Ironhide." Blaster explained to the little grey mechlet "that an' Steeljaw would let us know if there was somethin' ..." The comm. specialist's words trailed off when the gold felinoid dropped down low, lips curled up into a snarl whilst a low growling sound escaped his throat "okay maybe there is somethin' out there." Then without warning Steeljaw bounded across the room in several graceful leaps before he tore off one of the ventilation grates and disappeared inside the wall. Mechs watched in both interest and confusion as the gold cat vanished.

"Don't look at me." Blaster told them as he held his hands up when several gazes drifted his way. Suddenly there were sounds of a scuffle inside the wall as Steeljaw pursued whatever he was after, then the growling and snarling became louder before finally it went quiet.

"What the?" One of the bots uttered as a few of them assembled beneath the area they suspected the felinoid was currently at inside the ceiling.

"Maybe the creature up there got 'Jaw." Bluestreak told them as he clung to his carrier, his small frame trembling as fear coursed through his systems.

"Or he lost whatever he was after." A bot grumbled from the back of the group.

"No way 'Jaw's got a dam good nose." The comm. specialist defended his cassette as he too hung beneath the patch of ceiling he suspected the gold felinoid was at that current moment in time.

"It was probably just a rat." Cliffjumper mumbled whilst ignoring the pointed looks he received from his comrades.

However the momentary silence ended quickly when the earlier ruckus in the vents resumed before the vent grate dropped to the deck with a loud clatter, the assembled mechs peered up curiously into the blackness only to scramble backwards when a creature dropped out of the vent swiftly followed by Steeljaw. Bluestreak immediately saw the vicious looking bat like creature and froze in fear at the sight, his little sensory panels went rigid upon his back and he did the only thing he could think of; he screamed at the top of his vocaliser. The youngling's sudden distressed outburst startled numerous mechs around him including his carrier as they tried to capture the intruder. Jazz clutched his creation close and sent comforting and reassuring thoughts through the bond

_{Jazz is everything alright?} _Prowl inquired over the bond.

_{Yea he's fine, just a lil spooked.}_The saboteur responded _{we found th' reason behind th' blackout, it was that little cretin Buzzsaw.}_

_{We believed as such, Wheeljack has found traces of sabotage, I'm on my way back up to recruit a few mechs into scouring the rest of the base just in case he wasn't alone.} _The tactician responded _{that and if Bluestreak sees that I'm alright, he won't be worried so much about monsters.}_

The 3IC vented a deep sigh from his intakes _{Possibly, ya know we're not gonna get an ounce of recharge tonight don't ya.}_

_{I'm fully aware of that, but we'll figure something out.} _The 2IC replied.

_'I hope so.'_ Jazz thought to himself as he tried to calm his son down, but to no avail. Lucky enough Prowl entered the room a few moments later and took Bluestreak from the saboteur, reassuring the youngling that he was fine and the others were okay, and the creature Steeljaw had been after (and had now been confined inside of a small forcefield, courtesy of Trailbreaker) was simply a Decepticon spy and not a vampire bat or some other monster. However despite the timid and sniffled 'okay' they received from their creation, both black and white's knew it was going to be a long night.

_**A/N:** I decided to use two of the drabbles I wrote for the Halloween challenge last year because I felt they fitted this one perfectly, I also have two other one shots I'll be adding to 'Growing Pains' before I focus my attention back on Renascentia, next chapter is two thirds of the way finished._

_Read and Review!_


	27. Of Younglings and Fireworks

_**Title**: Of Younglings and Fireworks_

_**Rating**: K+_

_**Universe**:Post Movie 07/09 Verse_

_**Characters**:Youngling Bluestreak, Jazz, Prowl and ensemble_

_**Pairings**:ProwlxJazz and a few other pairings_

_**Warnings**:Fluff, slight use of profanities_

_**Disclaimer**:Not mine, I just like to toy with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition, except two certain little individuals, they're mine, and an OC_

_**Summary**:Bluestreak gets the opportunity to experience a historical event that is held every year, not too mention some valuable time with his parents_

_A request fic for **thephoenixqueen**, hope you enjoy hun! Okay so this was meant to be posted on November 5th since its Guy Fawkes Night for us Brits, but then I got Transformers Exodus and I kinda got hooked and the plot bunnies refused to co-operate until I read it. _

Bluestreak trotted alongside his parents as they followed a number of humans (many of them British, although a number of American, Australian, Chinese and several service men and women from other different countries joined them) and Autobots out of the base at Diego Garcia, he couldn't help but be excited about the small event that was going to take place an hour from now, if the large grin on his facial plates and the fluttering of his sensory panels were anything to go by. The youngling skipped on ahead, clearly aware of his caretakers and his guardians watching him as he headed toward the front of the group, although his peds weren't on the ground for long as Ironhide swept him up from the floor and set him on his shoulders. The little grey mechlet didn't put up a protest in the slightest as he adjusted his position slightly on the burly mech's shoulders, he glanced back over one of his shoulders to see his carrier smiling at him whilst his sire was speaking to his uncle. Bluestreak knew his uncle Barricade didn't want to join them that evening, but after much pleading and giving his uncle the kicked turbo-puppy look, he managed to convince the other black and white mech to come with them down to the cove where they planned to celebrate the British event known as Guy Fawkes night. At first there had been no plans of any kind, but as per usual once a certain youngling got wind of something, or over heard someone talking about a special occasion, he tended to use his own version of 'diplomacy skills' to get what he wanted. Both General Morshower and Optimus Prime had approved of the idea as long as those attending the event remained in constant radio contact in the event of a Decepticon attack, or an aircraft making the wrong decent vector.

Bluestreak shivered when the cool evening air caressed his derma-plating, he hunkered down closer to the black mech in attempt to steal the heat escaping from his vents. The youngling was suddenly glad for his father insisting that he wear the red, black and white scarf Sam's mother Judy Witwicky had made for him last Christmas, and was still too wide and too long for him even a year on. The little grey mechlet glanced around at the scenery he was so familiar with during the daylight hours, although he tightened his grip slightly upon the armour plates he had hold of as the yawning darkness stared back at him. He hated the dark and would refuse to fall into recharge unless he had a night light on, his parents had told him countless times he had nothing to be scared of, but Bluestreak refused to be persuaded otherwise.

Lucky enough most of the humans had torches whilst a few of his caretakers and guardians had their headlights on, providing more than enough illumination as they continued on their way down. The youngling giggled when he overheard Major Lennox threaten to push Sergeant Epps into the water before the two of them started a small scuffle like a pair of human younglings. Although their scuffle ended quickly when something scurried toward them, the two grown men yelped in surprise and immediately raced for cover behind one of the Autobots much to the amusement of their comrades. The little grey mechlet's entire frame tensed when he saw the shiny shell of the Coconut crab, he really hated those things despite his parents telling him it would only attack if provoked, however Bluestreak refused to be convinced otherwise.

"Don't worry Blue, it won't harm you." Ironhide told the youngling as he gently gripped one of the little grey mechlet's ankles in a reassuring gesture. Bluestreak simply chirred in response, he was glad that he was high off the ground and out of reach of the large crab he disliked so much. Although he felt sorry for the humans as they had not choice but to avoid it as best as they could without accidentally provoking it.

_{Don't concern yourself with it Blue, if that crab so much as flicks a claw in your direction, it'll meet a very unhappy ending.}_ Barricade rumbled over the bond.

The youngling glanced over his shoulder, flicking a sensory panel out of the way as he did so, and sent his uncle a disapproving look _{Uncle 'Cade, Mr Lennox says you're not allowed to shoot them coz they're special an' anyone who does is gonna end up in big trouble.}_

_{I'll make sure no harm comes to it Bluestreak.}_ Prowl told his son as he cast his older brother a pointed look, Barricade simply cocked his head to the side in an imitation of an eye roll at those words. The little grey mechlet giggled at the sight of his uncle pouting like a sulking youngling before he turned his attention to the front, although Bluestreak soon opted to get down and Ironhide set him on the ground. The youngling skipped up to the front where the twins were and tapped Sideswipe on the outside of his left thigh, he then ran off once he had his guardian's attention proclaiming that the red Lamborghini couldn't 'catch him'. The front-liner took the simple tag as a challenge and raced off after the little grey mechlet.

The group of humans and Autobots watched as Bluestreak proceeded to tire out his guardian as he ran along the beach, effortlessly dodging (a feat. surprising for his age) any attempts made by Sideswipe in order to 'catch him'. The red front-liner however managed to scoop up the exuberant youngling and plonked him on one of his shoulders and carried him around in a 'fireman's hold', whilst he pretended to ignore the little grey mechlet's words of defeat. Bluestreak of course resorted to using dirty tactics in order to be released by calmly telling his guardian that if he didn't put him down that second, he might just let off an unpleasant exhaust emission, and boy they all knew how bad they could be sometimes (although no-one could beat old Ironhide who would actually sit and hold farting contests with the youngling, much to Prowl's disgruntlement). Or he would lubricate on him like he had done to a very unfortunate Skywarp once.

Sideswipe chuckled knowing the little grey mechlet would keep to his word, after all Bluestreak was Jazz's son and the saboteur was well known for keeping his word. The red Lamborghini set the youngling down on the ground and watched as the little grey mechlet raced off across the sands although he never strayed too far from the group. The group of humans and Autobots arrived at the cove where a small pile of dead trees, branches and leaves plus a few burnable items from back at the base, came into view. The humans set down a few ice cooler boxes they had brought with them on a designated spot, whilst a couple of their alien allies removed the small fold down tables, the packets of fireworks and the gas barbecue Robert Epps had requested that one of them bring down, from their sub-space pockets. Jazz removed the small straw Guy Fawkes Bluestreak had made a couple of days ago from his sub-space and handed it to his son, the youngling took it from his carrier and made his way over to where Sergeant Grahams was stood talking to a fellow British soldier. The little grey mechlet tugged on the sleeve of his jacket gaining his attention.

"Where should I put him 'coz I'm not sure where he's supposed to go?" Bluestreak asked as he picked at a stray piece of straw sticking out.

Grahams gave the youngling a small smile before grasping one of the mechlet's hands and gently tugging him over to the unlit bonfire "It's supposed to go on the top, Hound! Could you give Blue a lift so he can put his straw man on the top?"

"Sure Sergeant." The tracking specialist responded as he stepped away from his bond-mate and made his way over. The primarily green mech plucked the youngling off the ground and held him at just the right height for him to place his straw man on the top, then he placed the little grey mechlet back on the ground.

"Now what Mr Grahams?" Bluestreak asked as he glanced at the young Sergeant, his gaze expectant.

Grahams chuckled as he watched the youngling's sensory panels fluttered upon his back "Now it needs to be lit Blue."

"I can solve that problem." Ironhide informed them as he approached, his weapon systems on-lining and his cannons unfurling.

Major Lennox put himself between the weapons specialist and the bonfire, hands held up in front of him "Whoa big guy, the kid said lit not obliterated."

"Spoil sport." The large black mech grumbled as he deactivated his weapons systems and trudged off toward the others in a sulk.

"Nice save sir, crisis averted." Grahams told his commanding officer "on second thought." There was a distinct whine of a weapon powering up before the sound of a low energy discharge ripped through the good natured atmosphere on the beach. Those assembled watched as the plasma shot hit the bonfire pile and ignited it, although a few wood splinters and burnt leaves rained down upon any unfortunate person or bot stood close to the burnable pile. Several glares were thrown in the direction of the shooter, but all they received in return was an indifferent look from the individual responsible.

Bluestreak planted both of his hands on his hips and gave his uncle a disapproving look "Uncle 'Cade, Major Lennox said you're not supposed to fire your gun unless a nasty 'con is going to hurt you."

The shock trooper cocked his helm to the side in an imitation of a human rolling their eyes at the little lecture "I apologise Blue, I promise I won't do it again." The youngling looked at sceptically for a few brief moments before he trotted off to where his twin guardians were stood.

Ironhide stepped up alongside Barricade, his azure gaze also watching the little grey mechlet "Kid is becoming a lot like his father everyday."

The shock trooper cast the weapons specialist a sideways glance "Yes he is."

"Wait until he starts citing rules and regulations to us." The black GMC Top kick chuckled as he folded his arms across his chest plates, he watched as Bluestreak scolded Sideswipe for something the red Lamborghini had done.

"Hmm." The Mustang simply hummed in response "a miniature Prowl is not what the universe needs."

"I heard that." The other black and white mech growled as he approached the pair of them, he shot his older sibling a light glare, Barricade simply shot him an innocent look in return "what are you two plotting anyway?"

"How many rockets it'll take to launch a human into the air." The shock trooper calmly told him, his gaze serious although a small devious smile threatened to break his façade.

"Hey!" Came several indignant shouts from the humans close by.

"Wow! Cool! Father look!" Bluestreak suddenly shouted, the three older mechs glanced over in the direction they had heard the youngling call for his sire, only to see that the little grey mechlet had a stick which was sparkling on one end, the youngling was enthusiastically waving it around in bright dizzying circles. The tactician's door wings flared upright and a concerned look appeared upon his facial plates.

"It's alright Prowl, they're hardly dangerous." Ironhide informed him as he gently grasped the Dodge Charger's right wrist "they're annoying but they keep the kids entertained." The weapons specialist gestured with his helm to where a few humans were also holding the sparkly sticks, and even one or two Autobots, of course Sideswipe was attempting to show off and dropped one of the sparklers he had in the sand. Prowl kept a close optic on his creation as Bluestreak waved the stick around creating numerous patterns with the light, then once it had died out (which had been dangerously close to his son's hands, the black and white mused), the youngling took the stick back to one of the soldiers and held it out to him. The tactician watched as the human took the dead sparkler from the little grey mechlet, he dropped it in the bucket next to him before he fished out a new one from the packet he was holding, he lit it and carefully handed it to the youngling. Bluestreak took it from him and trotted back over to his sire, the Dodge Charger couldn't help but look surprised when his creation held up the sparkly stick for him to take.

Prowl somewhat reluctantly took it from his son, uncertain of what he should do with it "Uh thank you Blue." The tactician heard small chuckles escaping both Barricade and Ironhide when the youngling grinned up at him, his little sensory panels fluttering upon his back.

"Would you like one 'Hide? Or you uncle 'Cade?" The little grey mechlet asked as he glanced at the two other mechs in turn.

"Nah we're good Blue, besides its more entertaining to see your father ponder what the hell he should do with it." The weapons specialist replied, a grin tugging at the corners of his lip components.

"Ya wave it around father." Bluestreak enthusiastically told his sire "you can make all sorts of shapes with it."

"Blue! Come look what Sergeant McKenzie has!" The youngling heard his spark carrier call out to him, the little grey mechlet turned and his gaze fell upon the thin glowing stick his daddy and a few of the humans were holding. Several others were bending the dim sticks in all directions before rubbing them in-between their palms in order to get them to start glowing the myriad of different colours.

"Cool!" Bluestreak shouted before he ran off and across to where his carrier was stood. The youngling watched as his daddy cracked a few more thin tubes and rubbed them between his palms before connecting them together in order to form a couple of small rings.

Jazz slid each one onto the little grey mechlet's wrists before passing him a larger one "Go give that one to ya father, an' tell him he has ta wear it."

"Okay." Bluestreak replied as he took the glowing ring from his daddy and ran back over to his father "daddy says this is for you, an' that ya have to wear it." Barricade snorted as he tried to contain the sudden need to laugh, Prowl glared at him as he reluctantly accepted the glowing ring from his son.

_{Ya better wear it too.} _Jazz told his mate over their bond.

_{Or you'll do what Jazz?} _The tactician inquired as he glanced over to where his bonded was, their gazes met and there was no mistaking the mischievous smirk that was making its way onto the saboteur's lip components.

_{Well let's just say I'll use any means ta get that slaggin' ring on ya." _The Solstice told him, a devious glint in his optics.

_{As entertaining as that sounds, I wish to neither gain an audience when you jump me, or traumatise our son." _The Dodge Charger replied as he flicked his door wings upwards so they framed his helm. The subtle gesture caught his older brother's attention, the shock trooper took a couple of steps away from his younger sibling and gave him a funny look.

Jazz pouted _{Spoil sport, anyway th' three of ya better get your afts over here, the humans are gonna start off th' fireworks shortly.}_

_{Alright we're on our way over.} _Prowl informed him "Come on Blue." The youngling glanced at him curiously before he twittered at him when the little grey mechlet realised that he still hadn't put the glowing ring anywhere on his person. The tactician vented a heavy sigh out of his intakes as he slipped the ring over his helm so it sat comfortably around his neck "happy now?"

"Yep." Bluestreak replied as he nodded his approval before the youngling skipped on over to his carrier, Jazz held out a hand for him to take and the little grey mechlet readily took it before he was gently tugged over to the cordoned off area. The saboteur hoisted him off the floor and settled Bluestreak on his shoulders so the youngling had the best view.

Sergeant Epps was currently wedging a long thin tube into the sand and directing it away from the assembled group, he also set down a plank of wood a few metres from the tube and a long piece of wood that stood upright. The Master Sergeant then stepped back once he was satisfied about their placements, and made his way over to the small table where the packs of fireworks had been set out neatly. Major Lennox joined him a few seconds later, his gaze sweeping over the assembled fireworks and between them they began working out the order in which ones to let off first. The two men bantered back and forth between themselves about which ones to pick, and in the end were yelled at by their colleagues to get their asses into gear. Finally the two men decided upon sending up a rocket before setting off one of the ground based ones, Epps plucked the rocket up off the table and took it over to where the long tube was before slotting it into it.

"It's gonna make a big bang Blue." Jazz told his son as he watched the Master Sergeant take the lighting stick from Will.

The Master Sergeant took it over to where the rocket was situated despite Ratchet's insistence that one of them should do it since gunpowder was well known to be extremely dangerous to humans. However Lennox and several other humans calmly explained that no harm would come to Epps or any of them, after all humans had been lighting up fireworks for a very long time. Bluestreak clapped his hands over his audios since he wasn't all that particular about loud bangs, he watched as Epps lit the fuse then walked away quickly until he had joined the others. The fuse shortened before it disappeared entirely, the rocket raced off upwards with a _whoosh_ before it detonated in the clear sky with a loud bang and an explosion of glittering red colour that spread across the sky.

"WOW!" The youngling shouted in excitement, humans and Autobots alike chuckled at the little grey mechlet's exuberant behaviour "can we see another one pretty please?"

Bobby Epps shook his head in amusement as he picked up another one and set it in the launch tube, as before he lit the fuse and moved away. The second rocket raced up into the night sky and exploded this time in a shower of green lights. A few more rockets were launched up into the air, a couple of them raced up into the sky in a corkscrew and with a loud squeal. Sergeant Grahams had called them 'screaming banshees', and Bluestreak had to admit they were his least favourite in comparison to the ones that detonated in huge showers of red, green, white, gold and blue glittering light. Major Lennox had set up a few ground based ones, some of which spat plumes of brightly coloured light like a flare whilst others shot small multi-coloured balls of light a few metres into the air. The youngling was completely ecstatic as he watched as each firework was lit and set off into the night sky, in fact he almost fell of his carrier's shoulders in his excitement. However he did keep his hands clapped over his audios when the noisy rockets went up, although he noticed as he looked down and around that a few humans had done the same.

Between Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps, the two men had launched and set off half of the fireworks they had brought down with them, as per usual a couple of them didn't work as expected but Sideswipe much to Prowl's displeasure that he was going to set a bad example, discovered a way of getting them to work. They decided to take a break where the humans could grab a burger, hot dog and a beer, and socialise briefly before they continued with the display. Bluestreak had 'mugged' Sergeant McKenzie of his packet of glowing sticks and sat down on the sand, cracking the long thin tubes and rubbing them in his palms like he had seen the others doing. The youngling then connected them to form bracelets, both big and small before he pushed himself up onto his peds and made his way around the numerous groups, the humans chuckled and thanked the little grey mechlet before slipping the glowing bracelets onto their wrists. Bluestreak then made his way around his guardians and caretakers who were a little more reluctant about taking the luminescent rings from him especially Sunstreaker, however a simple stern look that told them that they had no choice but to comply.

Then the firework display resumed half an hour later, the opening act was the 'Catherine Wheel' that had been hammered onto the upright piece of wood. The wheel once lit, spun round in a spectacular arc of brilliant red before it flared brightly and went out. Then once again the rockets were sent up although Sideswipe dared the Major and Master Sergeant to tie a couple of fuses to make the display a little more interesting, of course both men declined, after all there was no telling what could happen so the red Lamborghini volunteered to set them off instead. Both Lennox and Epps glanced at one another then stepped aside to allow the front-liner access to the fireworks, Prowl took a step forward intending to stop Sideswipe but Ratchet simply stated that if the idiot burnt or blew anything off, he would simply repair or reattach it, that was after he had berated him for being a complete moron. Surprisingly both rockets went up together once their combined fuses had been lit, and the end result was exceptionally spectacular, the explosions of multi-coloured gunpowder lit up the night sky although the bangs were certainly increased two fold this time round.

Several more rockets were sent up in the same manner, although one of the pairs raced off into the sea rather than the air, Sideswipe had simply shrugged his shoulders before picking up the next pair and launching them into the air. Bluestreak who was now perched on Ironhide's shoulders braved the loud bangs and clapped his hands together in excitement at every sparkling shower of light that erupted overhead, his parents chuckled in amusement at seeing their son's overly exuberant behaviour since they had their doubts that the youngling would enjoy himself. After all the little grey mechlet was still somewhat scared of loud bangs such as claps of thunder, however that fear was slowly melting away with every firework whether rocket or ground based ones launched.

Soon it wasn't long before the firework display was over, some of the humans decided to linger a while longer, whilst many began drifting back toward the base. Bluestreak, tired from the combined excitement of the evening and spending much of the day running around after his two young siblings, made his way over to where his uncle was stood. The youngling warbled at the shock trooper and held his arms up asking to be plucked off the ground, not one to deny his nephew, Barricade readily picked him up off the ground. The shock trooper sent a brief communication to his sibling suggesting that they head back to the base, and Prowl nodded in acknowledgement before leaving his brother's side to go and locate his spark-mate. The incomplete family group immediately headed back toward the base, taking note that many were following their example, although those that did only did so because they were on the early shift the next day. The trip back was somewhat quiet as Bluestreak had fallen into recharge in his uncle's arms, although the humans discussed the night's events between themselves as they walked down the road back to the base. Prowl glanced at his older brother the moment they entered the base, he couldn't help the small smile tugging at the corners of his lip components when his gaze fell upon his son. Each of Bluestreak's thighs were sat on each of Barricade's hips, his small hands were clutching onto the upper most chest armour seams whilst the little one's helm was lying upon broad chest plates, his left audio receptor positioned above the area where the Mustang's spark was situated.

The tactician made his way over to his brother and held his arms out ready to take the youngling from the shock trooper "I can take him from here."

"It's alright I've got him, you go and rescue your Prime from your troublesome duo." The Mustang told him as he adjusted his hold on his nephew.

"You're sure?" Prowl inquired, fully aware that his mate was waiting for him a few metres behind him. Barricade simply nodded before he stepped around his brother and headed in the direction of the living quarters. The tactician watched him go then made his way over to his bonded.

A smirk tugged at Jazz's lip components "Ya know 'Cade's turnin' inta a big softie don't ya?"

The Dodge Charger chuckled "Don't let him hear you say that, although it is surprising that it has taken a youngling to transform him into a different mech."

"Lil Blue's just got this air about him." The saboteur replied as he turned so he was facing his bonded as they walked down the corridor.

A smile tugged at Prowl's lip components "A trait he inherited from you love, now I suggest you turn around before you step on that human." The Solstice quickly and gracefully spun round and narrowly avoided stepping on said human, the soldier shot a glare at the silver mech before carrying on his way. The bonded pair continued through the interconnecting corridors until they reached their leader's office, the tactician pinged their Prime's comm. link as he didn't want to wake their nine month old twins since Rhapsody was always grumpy if disturbed from her recharge, just like a certain parent of hers. The Dodge Charger received a confirmation from their leader, he palmed the pad on the wall and the doors whooshed open. Both Prowl and Jazz stepped into the office quietly, they immediately spotted their leader sat on the floor in front of the couch with a pile of data-pads on one side and a much smaller one on the other side of him. However what quickly attracted their attention was the two small bundles curled up next to one another on the couch, both deep in recharge.

The saboteur made his way over and a grin appeared upon his lip components "How have they been?"

Optimus glanced at the slumbering twins before he met his 3IC's gaze "To borrow a human term; they've been as good as gold."

"That's good ta hear." The Solstice replied, his gaze never leaving the black and white sparklings.

"How did it go? Did Bluestreak enjoy himself?" The Prime inquired as he pushed himself up from the floor, he stretched briefly to undo the stiffness that had set in his frame.

"Let's put it this way, we won't be hearing the last of it for a long while to come." The tactician spoke up.

The semi Peter-built chuckled as he reached down and collected the data-pads off the floor "I'm glad to hear it, and I'm also relieved the event went off without a problem."

"Ya should have come boss-bot, we coulda got Red ta watch over th' twins, although its a pity Magnus decided ta take his group off the island fer a bit of trainin'." Jazz told his leader as he gently scooped up Rhapsody and handed her over to his spark-mate, he then plucked Rhythm off the couch and settled him in his arms.

"I would have done, but unfortunately the preparations for tomorrow's conference took precedence, maybe next year, actually in fact I will endeavour to make sure that nothing comes up on that day, baring a Decepticon attack of course." Optimus replied "and you both know Magnus has this … phobia of sparklings."

The Dodge Charger adjusted his hold on his daughter "Well out of all of them, Ultra Magnus is the only way I trust to keep an optic on them."

"Anyway we better get these two ta bed an' Blue too, thanks fer havin' them sir." The saboteur told his leader as he tucked the little black and silver sparkling up on his left shoulder.

The Prime smiled and dipped his helm in acknowledgement "No problem."

The Solstice flashed him a smile in return whilst the Dodge Charger dipped his helm in thanks before the pair of them made their way out of their leader's office. Tonight's event had allowed them to spend time with their first born since they had been so preoccupied with the twins, but never once had Bluestreak complained as the youngling understood that sparklings required a lot of his parent's time and their attention. However they always managed to find time for their eldest creation like they had done tonight, the bonded pair knew that November the fifth would be marked as a day that the little grey mechlet would get his parents to himself as long as there was someone to watch over both Rhapsody and Rhythm, that was until his siblings were old enough to watch and enjoy the event that took place on that very day in the years to come.

_**A/N:** Another one down,and I promise there will be a one shot eventually with Bluestreak and his twin siblings. Next up: Of Younglings and Close Calls._

_Read & Review!_


	28. Of Younglings and Close Calls

_**Title**: Of Younglings and Close Calls_

_**Rating**: K+_

_**Universe: **Post Movie 07/09 Verse_

_**Characters**:Youngling Bluestreak, Jazz, Prowl and ensemble_

_**Pairings**:ProwlxJazz and a few other pairings_

_**Warnings**:Fluff, slight angst, reference to Of Younglings and Deities_

_**Disclaimer**:Not mine, I just like to toy with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition_

_A request fic for **optimusprime007**, hope you enjoy hun! Okay so I've been gone for a couple of months, but I have a very valid reason for that, real life has been a royal pain in the ass and I truly mean that. But I'm back again with a few more one shots that will hopefully crawl out of the woodwork for you all to enjoy!_

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Bluestreak felt numb as he sat curled up in the lap of his carrier, his grey chevroned helm resting against silver chest plates. The youngling could hear the strong steady beat of a fuel pump and the deep pulsing of a spark he was so familiar with. They had always been the two rhythmic sounds that had drawn him into recharge with when he was much smaller, and now allowed him to take comfort in as they reassured him that his daddy wasn't going anywhere. The little grey mechlet tightened the grip he had on his carrier's chest plates and allowed a small distressed warble to escape him. Immediately he felt his daddy sent comforting and reassuring thoughts over the bond, although Bluestreak could tell his carrier was also worried about his father. After all they hadn't heard anything since Ratchet had rushed him into surgery with Wheeljack, whilst Skyfire saw to the minor injuries which happened to include his daddy after he had taken a nasty hit from that creepy cat Ravage. The old scientist had checked up on them not long ago and offered the pair of them energon, but the youngling was simply feeling too sick to his tank with worry to ingest any. Although his carrier tried to get him to take a few sips and he had pnly obliged him simply because he didn't want to worry his daddy.

The little grey mechlet glanced up at his carrier and was met with a small comforting smile "Do you think father's gonna be alright?"

Jazz vented a tired sigh from his intakes "Yea Blue, he's gonna be fine, he's pulled through tougher scrapes than this." _'Although this has been th' worst so far.'_ He wanted to add but didn't. His mate had suffered terrible injuries at the hands of Megatron and his fragging fusion cannon, the saboteur knew that being shot by the high powered energy weapon was not fun in the slightest and it hurt like the pit. After all he had taken a few hits from the Decepticon leader, hell he had been torn in half by the fragger, an experience he never wanted to repeat ever again. A similiar fate had nearly befallen his beloved spark-mate after Megatron shot down their leader and headed for the next proverbial thorn in his side, lucky enough he had been on the other side of the battlefield at the time or the Decepticon leader would have succeeded in taking out the top half of the command structure in one go. The Solstice hadn't seen the skirmish take place, but from what he heard from those who had witnessed it and the resulting backlash through the bond told him Megatron had been determined to kill his bonded. Of course the Decepticon leader would have succeeded if it hadn't been for Prowl's last desperate attempt to escape and shot the silver tyrant in the facial plates.

In fact Jazz had never been so concerned for his mate's life than he had been that day, the tactician's injuries had been a nasty mess ranging from small tears in his armoured plating, his elegant door wings either dislocated or torn away from the black and white mech's back, to the most life threatening injury of them all; chest plates torn open and his spark chamber had been compromised. Ratchet had immediately sealed off any and all leaks before he could even think about commencing triage upon the Dodge Charger. It had been the most nerve racking moments of his life as the CMO raced against time to save Prowl, and in that time the saboteur had been faced with the possibility of not only losing his spark-mate, but having to tell his son that he was likely to lose his father. That thought was still enough to make his tanks churn even now, after all his bonded wasn't quite out of the woods yet.

The Solstice hugged his creation close "Ya father's gonna be fine Blue." _'He has to be.'_

Bluestreak snuggled into his carrier as much as he could "I hope so daddy, I really miss him."

"I know baby, I know." Jazz mumbled as he allowed his finned helm to come to rest upon his son's chevroned helm. Silence fell between creator and creation as they patiently and anxiously waited for news upon Prowl, Jazz couldn't even find it in himself to even sing or hum to his son, although he continued to send reassuring and comforting thoughts through the bond in the attempt to fill in the void which was normally filled with his mate's presence. The saboteur vented a tired sigh out of his intakes which earned him a concerned warble from his creation, the silver mech gave his son a small smile "I'm fine lil Blue." The little grey mechlet held his carrier's gaze a while longer, wondering whether to believe him or not before snuggling back into his daddy's chassis.

"I thought Skyfire cleared you so you could go back to quarters?" Came a voice the Solstice had been waiting to hear. Both Jazz and Bluestreak glanced across the room to where Ratchet was stepping out of the OR wiping his hands on a rag as he made his way over to them. The saboteur watched as the CMO swept his gaze over his frame before he felt the distinct tingle of a sensor sweep upon the micro-fine sensor net that covered every inch of his body.

"He did, but I wanted ta know how Prowl's doin'?" The Solstice inquired as he unconsciously tightened his grip upon his son suddenly fearful for his mate, he could also feel the apprehension his creation was experiencing through the bond.

Ratchet vented a deep sigh out of his intakes "The fragger's gonna pull through, although he's not out of the woods yet but I'm confident he's going to be alright."

"That's good ta hear." The saboteur responded as he glanced down at his son, although a small concerned frown drew his optic ridges downwards when he noticed the troubled look upon Bluestreak's facial plates and the droopy sensory panels upon the little grey mechlet's back "Ya father's gonna be okay." The youngling simply nodded as he stared at a spot upon his carrier's chest plates, the Solstice smoothed a clawed hand over his creation's helm then he glanced across to meet Ratchet's gaze "when can we see him?"

"In a moment Wheeljack's just clearing up." The CMO told him "I'll let you have five minutes with him but then you're to report to quarters and rest, is that understood?"

"Perfectly." Jazz replied.

Ratchet nodded "Good, 'Jack will let you know when you can go in."

The saboteur dipped his head in acknowledgement "Thanks Ratch, fer everythin'."

"Don't thank me yet, but you're welcome." The CMO told him as he gently gripped one of the Solstice's elbow joints, he then smoothed a hand over Bluestreak's helm before he stepped away to check on the twins.

The silver mech watched as the medic spoke a few quiet words to Sideswipe, who like Jazz wanted to remain close by in case anything happened. The saboteur knew Sunstreaker had been badly injured during one of Starscream's strafing runs after the gold Lamborghini had been dumped unceremoniously on the ground by Skywarp, the silver Raptor had been grouchier than normal and many suspected that it had something to do with Megatron. But it also unfortunately meant that the ire Starscream had towards his leader was directed at their own troops, and Sunstreaker plus a couple of others had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Solstice also knew that there had been far too many close calls recently, and he dreaded the day that the age long war claimed another spark. Jazz was drawn out of his thoughts when his sensitive audio receptors detected another set of footsteps making their way over to the berth he was sat upon, the saboteur glanced up and met the tired gaze of Wheeljack as the engineer stepped up alongside his berth.

"Can we see my father now Wheeljack, can we pretty please?" The youngling inquired almost immediately as he glanced imploringly up at the Lancia Stratos.

The engineer's head fins flashed a light shade of blue "Sure Blue, but remember only five minutes." The little grey mechlet nodded then held his arms out towards the Lancia, Wheeljack plucked Bluestreak out of his carrier's lap and set him on the floor. Then the engineer gently grasped one of Jazz's elbow joints and helped the saboteur down off the berth, the Solstice had to fight back the urge to groan in pain as his injuries protested the movement. The youngling glanced at his carrier in concern, but Jazz simply assured him he was okay as he gently tugged his arm free from the engineer's hold. The Lancia remained close to the saboteur's side as the Solstice stiffly made his way across the med-bay to the ICU room at the back of the repair bay, the silver mech paused briefly outside of the room and turned around.

Jazz crouched down in front of his son and met his gaze "Blue ya father's not gonna look like he normally is, okay? An' he's gonna have quite a few wires an' tubes attached ta him."

"Okay." The little grey mechlet replied as he clutched his hands close to his chest plates. His carrier gave him a small smile before pushing himself upright and holding out a clawed hand for him to take, Bluestreak readily took the proffered hand and waited anxiously as his daddy palmed the pad on the wall. The youngling had seen a few of the minor injuries the other Autobots had sustained the past couple of hours, but he had never seen any of them really badly hurt. The doors cycled open and the little grey mechlet followed his spark carrier into the brightly lit room, he felt his sensory panels twitch on his back when something like a fine spray passed over his small frame and back appendages. However his attention was drawn away from the invisible sensation by the door, to the bleeping of a machine as it recorded his father's vitals. His baby blue optics swept over the myriad of scary looking machines before his gaze fell upon the too still figure on the only berth in the room.

Bluestreak glanced up at his daddy and noticed the sad and worried look upon his facial plates, the youngling tightly gripped the clawed hand he was holding, then in a reversal of their roles the little grey mechlet sent as much love and reassurance as he could muster to his carrier. His daddy gave him an appreciative smile before leading Bluestreak across to the berth, the youngling pressed himself as close as he could get, afraid that he might accidentally pull or catch an important wire or tube that was currently keeping his father alive. Jazz plucked the little grey mechlet up off the floor with a small groan when his injuries protested the movement and settled Bluestreak on his un-injured side, the youngling warbled in concern as he didn't want his carrier to strain himself when he was also hurt.

The saboteur gave his son a few words of reassurance before his gaze fell upon his spark-mate, his spark plummeted down through his peds at the sight of Prowl as much of the tactician's plating was marred by fresh weld marks and scars, and even in some areas the black and white plating had been replaced by a stark grey plate and would remain that way until any repairs that were still needed were complete, or the new fabricated piece of plating was repainted. The once elegant door wings were both missing from his back, and would only be reattached once the Dodge Charger had stabilised fully.

The little grey mechlet allowed sparkling clicks and warbles to escape him as his baby blue optics swept over his sire, he took notice of how poorly his father looked and knew that he would have to help his daddy look after and care for his sire once he was well enough to leave the med-bay. Bluestreak reached over and gently grasped his father's cool and lax fingers of his right hand, the youngling wished for a brief second that they would respond and curl around his in reassurance that he was going to be okay, but the little grey mechlet knew that it wasn't going to happen not whilst his father was 'asleep'. The youngling allowed a small sigh to escape his intakes as he clutched his father's hand a while longer before he glanced over at Wheeljack.

"Is my father gonna be okay?" The youngling asked, his little sensory panels waving back and forth in apprehension.

The engineer's head fins flashed a pale blue "He's got a long road to recovery ahead of him Blue, but he'll be back to bustin' Sideswipe for his pranks in next to no time." The Lancia told him, although both he and Jazz knew there would be a lot more to Prowl's recovery than simple rest and recuperation, however Bluestreak didn't need to know that until the time came.

The youngling nodded his helm before he transferred his gaze from Wheeljack to the prone form of his father, he briefly shuttered his optics and prayed to the nice mechanoid known as Primus to watch over his sire and help him get better like he had done once with his carrier. The little grey mechlet had to admit he was scared of the fact he had been so close to losing his sire, and he knew his daddy had been frightened as well even though he had tried to hide his worry and concern from him.

"Right I'm gonna have to shoo you out now as you need to go and rest, and yes you can come back tomorrow." Came a voice from the doorway, Jazz glanced over to see Ratchet stepping inside the room and making his way over.

The saboteur set his son down on the floor "You'll keep me appraised if anythin'..."

"I will." The CMO replied as he gave the Solstice a small smile.

"Thanks Ratch, 'Jack." The silver mech said as he clasped his mate's almost lifeless right hand before letting go and offering the same hand for his creation to take, Bluestreak took it without question and was gently tugged toward the entrance of the room. The youngling glanced back toward his father one final time, then he followed his daddy out of the ICU, into the main repair bay then out into the corridor. The pair of them made their way through the interconnecting corridors slowly and in silence, the little grey mechlet continued to glance up at his carrier, a worried and concerned look upon his young facial plates.

Bluestreak gently tugged upon the clawed hand he was holding, attracting the attention of his carrier "Daddy?"

Jazz met the youngling's worried gaze and vented a tired sigh out of his intakes "I'm fine Blue." The saboteur knew he was far from fine as his injuries ached, and then there was the dark hole in his spark where his mate's presence should have been. The Solstice knew that once Ratchet had lifted the medically induced stasis lock, the dark hole would once again be filled with Prowl's presence, but until that time came he would have to endure the loneliness whilst juggling with the duties of caring for their child and stepping in as second in command. Although knowing his leader as well as he did, Jazz knew Optimus would delegate as much of the workload as he possibly could to the others. And his comrades? They would offer their services as much as they could if the saboteur required someone to watch over Bluestreak when they were off-duty.

The youngling frowned and his little sensory panels drooped, he might only be seven years old, but he knew when one of both of his parents were unhappy "You're worried daddy, I can feel it in here." The little grey mechlet placed a hand upon his chest plates right above his spark chamber "are you scared about father because I'm scared too."

The Solstice blinked in surprise, when had Bluestreak become so good at reading him? He wondered briefly whether the youngling was able to read the other mech's moods at all since he spent so much time around them, then it suddenly dawned upon him just how much like Prowl the little mechlet was becoming "Yea Blue I'm scared too, but I know ya father's gonna be alright, it'll take more than what ole Megs has got ta send ya father to th' matrix."

Bluestreak perked up slightly at that "Yea."

Jazz smiled "C'mon as I don't know about you but I fancy some warm energon and a couple of goodies."

A large grin appeared upon the little grey mechlet's facial plates and his sensory panels fluttered on his back at the idea suggested by his carrier, although a small stern look replaced the grin as Bluestreak turned to face his daddy whilst he tugged in the direction of their quarters "'member old Hatchet said you were to rest too dad."

The saboteur chuckled "Yes Blue." He allowed a smile to tug at his lip components as he trailed after his son, the youngling was becoming more and more like Prowl with every year that passed. A part of that fact made his spark clench painfully in its chamber as he knew that if an unforeseen complication should rear its ugly head, Bluestreak would be the only living reminder of his beloved mate. The Solstice berated himself internally as he entered the code for his shared quarters, Ratchet was the best medic they had and the CMO certainly wouldn't let his spark-mate go without a fight. That and the Hummer would do everything in his power to ensure the tactician's survival and subsequent recovery afterwards. Jazz vented a deep sigh out of his intakes as he made his way into the main living space, he knew he needed to keep a tighter lid on his thoughts and feelings of worry and fear in order to make sure they couldn't continuously pass through the bond. After all he didn't want to pass on his negativity about the situation onto his son as Bluestreak was simply too sensitive, that and he needed to be encouraged with the idea that his sire was going to get well.

The saboteur allowed a small smile to grace his lip components when he spotted his creation standing on the tips of his peds as he pushed two mugs into the energon dispenser, then he attempted to reach for the button to activate it but he simply couldn't quite reach it. The Solstice made his way over slowly but surely to the dispenser and pressed the button Bluestreak was attempting and failing to reach, it activated and began filling both mugs with warm energon. Jazz allowed a small chuckle to escape him when he saw his son pouting.

"One day ya'll be tall enough ta reach it." The saboteur told him as he turned off the machine and picked up the two mugs "ya know where th' goodies are." The youngling nodded and trotted over to the cabinet his carrier gestured to with his finned helm, he pulled it open and fished out the small plastic tub before he made his way over to the couch his carrier had retreated to. The little grey mechlet clambered up onto the couch and placed the tub of goodies between him and his daddy, then he carefully took his mug when his carrier handed it to him. Bluestreak sat quietly and sipped his energon, although very now and again he glanced at his daddy who seemed deep in thought. The youngling's little sensory panels fluttered nervously when a thought occurred to him, what if his carrier was wrong? What if his father wasn't going to get better? What would happen to him and his daddy? The little grey mechlet's felt his mug being plucked out of his hands before warm comforting arms wrapped themselves around his small frame, Bluestreak snuggled into his carrier's chassis as whimpers began to leave his vocaliser.

"Shh lil Blue, everythin's gonna be alright." Jazz cooed to his son as he stroked the youngling's delicate back plates, he felt optic fluid sting his own optical sensors at the distressed sobs and whimpers coming from his creation. The saboteur felt helpless as the only thing he could do was comfort and reassure his son that everything was going to be alright, although he too was steadily losing his faith in that truth as out of all his injuries his spark-mate had sustained, this one had to be the worst so far. The pair of them stayed that way for a while longer until Bluestreak pulled away from his daddy wiping away the fluid from his cheeks and optics, the Solstice gave his creation a smile as he reached up and used both of his thumbs to wipe away any residual tears on the youngling's cheeks "alright now?"

The little grey mechlet nodded "Is father really going to be alright daddy?"

"I hope so Blue, 'sides we need someone ta talk th' audios off of don't we?" Jazz said as he logged onto the base's network and immediately regretted the second he did as reports sprung up awaiting his attention, the saboteur vented a small sigh before suggesting to his son that he grab something to amuse himself with whilst he sorted out and read through the reports. Bluestreak appeared reluctant at first, but after a few moments he made his way across to his room and stepped inside, the youngling perused the collection of toys he had before settling upon his portable game pad, he fished out the tub of assorted game chips then made his way back out of his berth-room. The little grey mechlet trotted back over to the couch, taking note of how his carrier now had a couple of data-pads in his hands as he stepped away from the computer terminal in the corner of the room. Bluestreak grabbed the small bean bag whilst his daddy sat back down on the couch, the youngling dragged it across the floor before flopping down into it belly first, he wriggled around for a few seconds then finally settled and activated his game pad.

Silence descended upon the room as Jazz worked on the reports whilst Bluestreak lay quietly playing several games, although the youngling soon glanced up from his game pad when he heard deep intakes of air that he knew was associated with recharge. The little grey mechlet's baby blue gaze fell upon the slumbering form of his carrier, his little sensory panels flicked up in surprise at that however he quickly remembered Ratchet telling his daddy that he needed to rest. Bluestreak pushed himself up from the bean bag and scrambled up from the floor, he trotted across to his parent's room where he stepped inside and picked up the fine berth sheet that had been folded up and placed on the end. The youngling clutched the cool blanket close to his chest plates, then he made his way back out of the room and into the main living space. The little grey mechlet trotted back over to the couch and clambered up onto it as slowly and as quietly as possible so he wouldn't accidentally disturb his carrier from his much needed rest. Bluestreak stepped over his daddy's calves until he was crouched on the other side of his carrier, then in a gesture that his parents had done so many times in his life, the youngling laid the sheet over his daddy's sleeping form. The little grey mechlet made sure it was completely spread out before he leant over the side and collected his game pad and chips. Then once he had hold of it, Bluestreak snuggled into his carrier's side where he settled down to continue with the game he had been playing until he too dropped off into recharge.

* * *

To say the last several days had been exhausting both mentally and physically was an understatement Jazz mused as he sat upon his berth, his legs were stretched out before him. A small smile made its way onto the saboteur's lip components as he trailed clawed fingertips down over the top of his mate's helm to the back of his neck. Prowl had been released from the med-bay a couple of days prior after Ratchet had deemed him stable and well enough to leave, although the tactician still had a long way to go in terms of recovery. The CMO had firmly instructed the tactician that he was on berth rest, although he did permit a little exercise would be good for him every now and again. However knowing his spark-mate like he did, the Solstice knew that the Dodge Charger would refuse to stay in the berth since he would fret about his workload becoming too burdensome for his bonded whilst Jazz also had to care for their son. The saboteur allowed a small smile to tug at his lip components as he glanced down to where Bluestreak was currently lying upon his belly, his legs kicking back and forth whilst he played on his game pad. The youngling had been on his best behaviour, never once demanding anything of his carrier, in fact the little grey mechlet was hardly ever demanding since his parents freely gave him everything especially their unconditional love, something he knew Bluestreak had missed terribly during the first initial days after the skirmish. Although Jazz had continued to give it, and even Barricade had sent comfort and reassurance in the youngling's direction.

Like all the other times he had done it, Jazz had spent his off duty hours in the repair bay just so he could sit with his bonded, although this time it was largely due to the fact that Bluestreak refused to be parted from his father just in case the worse came to pass. The youngling had sat at his sire's side telling him any and everything that had occurred during the past couple of days, even though he was aware that his father couldn't hear him let alone respond. The little grey mechlet had been despondent and reluctant about doing it at first, that was until Ratchet explained to Bluestreak that talking to his sire whilst he was in stasis would actually help his father get better. Of course when the saboteur wasn't available to take him due to his duties, one of the others would take the youngling down instead, although the little grey mechlet did prefer it when his daddy took him. Bluestreak had been ecstatic when the news had finally come through that his father was awake and asking for him and his carrier. The youngling had tried not to be impatient as he was anxious to see his sire, but he couldn't stop his fidgeting as he had waited for his daddy to finish up with the reports he had been reading. Then the little grey mechlet's impatience had finally won out, but lucky enough the Solstice had sensed his agitation and put down the report he really had no interest in reading, before he swiftly exited his office with his creation following closely behind him.

Jazz shifted slightly on the berth, he could easily recall that there had been a mixture of excited and nervous energy running through his son's frame as they had made their way down to the repair bay. Bluestreak's apprehension had only grown the closer they got to the med-bay, but the saboteur had simply comforted and reassured the youngling as best as he could before they finally stepped inside Ratchet's lair. The reunion between father and son had been emotionally overwhelming for the saboteur as he had watched his creation race across the med-bay and toward the berth his sire was lying upon. The Solstice had immediately spotted the small smile making its way onto his spark-mate's lip components as Ratchet scooped Bluestreak up and set him down beside Prowl, the youngling of course wasted no time in carefully snuggling into his father's right side before soft sobs began leaving his vocaliser. Jazz had felt fluid sting his own optics at the sight of father and son together again as he slowly made his way over, the tactician had greeted him with a soft 'hey' when their gazes met and all the saboteur could respond with was a small trembling smile. Unfortunately their visit had been cut short since the Dodge Charger could hardly remain on-line for a few scant minutes before he drifted off into recharge. The little grey mechlet had been reluctant at first about leaving his father's side, but the Solstice had successfully managed to convince his son that they would return the following day. It had been like that for the first initial days with their visits lasting between ten, twenty or thirty minutes until Ratchet had deemed Prowl stable enough to leave and continue with his recuperation in his own quarters.

A soft murmur from the mech cuddled into his side, chevroned helm now resting upon his chest plates, drew Jazz out of his thoughts. The saboteur glanced down to see his mate stirring from recharge, then from the corner of his optic he saw a flicker of movement from the other end of the berth. The Solstice allowed his gaze to drift down to where Bluestreak had been lying upon his belly to see the youngling propped up on his elbows, his baby blue optics firmly glued on his father whilst his small sensory panels waved back and forth. Jazz then allowed a small smile to tug at his lip components when he glanced down to see the sleepy flickering of blue optics before they on-lined fully.

"Hey." The saboteur softly called to his spark-mate.

"Hey." Prowl replied wearily in return.

The little grey mechlet pushed himself up into a sitting position, a smile making its way onto his young facial plates "Hi father."

A small smile tugged at one corner of the tactician's lip components as he glanced down at his son "Hey lil Blue."

The Solstice smoothed his left thumb over the shiny red metal of his spark-mate's chevron in a soothing gesture "How ya feelin'?"

The Dodge Charger stretched his frame slightly and moaned softly when the slight movement pulled upon his healing injuries "I feel like I've been trampled by Menasor."

Jazz chuckled at that "Least that's an improvement from feelin' like ya had been sucked inta Devastator's vortex an' ground inta scrap heap." A small laugh escaped the black and white's vocaliser "hungry?"

"A little." Prowl responded as he pushed himself up onto one of his elbows, his arm trembling slightly under his weight.

"I'll be right back." The saboteur told his mate as he slid out of the berth and made his way out of the room, although not before the tactician spotted the new growth of metallic skin upon his mate's left thigh. A small frown appeared upon the Dodge Charger's facial plates, it had come as no surprise that the injuries he had sustained at Megatron's hands would have had some form of impact upon the Solstice which had resulted in his mate being injured as well. It was one of those disadvantages of being bonded that sometimes serious injuries not only took out the wounded mate, but their bonded as well.

"Father?" Bluestreak inquired drawing Prowl out of his thoughts. The tactician glanced down at his son to see the youngling looking at him in concern, his little sensory panels drooping low on his back.

"I'm alright Blue." The Dodge Charger told his creation as he shakily pushed himself up into a sitting position, he slowly flared his door-wings out behind him as he leant back against the wall, although he couldn't help but grimace slightly at even the smallest of pressure upon the delicate joints "so what anarchy have your two guardians been creating whilst I've been poorly?"

Bluestreak pushed himself up onto his peds and made his way up the berth, he then plonked his aft next to his father "Uncle Sunny's been quiet, not that he isn't 'less someone says somethin', and Uncle Sides pulled a prank on Uncle 'Hide an' ended up getting' his aft ..."

"Blue." Prowl rumbled as he gave his son a light stern look at the youngling's use of a profanity.

"... his backside chucked through the gate thingy to somewhere, but Uncle 'Hide won't say where." The little grey mechlet finished saying.

The tactician snorted lightly in amusement "That's nothing new with Sideswipe, and I shall have to have words with Ironhide once I am able to get the whereabouts of your guardians."

"The ole mech won't tell ya a thin', sides the red hellion is in th' Nevada desert I had Red Alert triangulate his position." Jazz told his bonded as he stepped back into the room, mugs of energon in his clawed hands. Bluestreak immediately pushed himself up onto his peds and rushed down to the bottom of the berth, he relieved his carrier of one of the two large mugs and carried it down carefully to his father. The Dodge Charger took the mug and offered his thanks to his creation before sipping the pink fluid. Over the rim of his mug, the black and white mech watched as his son settled contentedly down at the bottom of the berth before accepting his slightly smaller mug from his daddy.

_{Has he been like this since the skirmish?}_ Prowl inquired over the bond as he tried to ignore the slight ache that was beginning to settle in his door-wing joints.

_{Yea he's been relatively quiet, I asked Ratch an' he said it was normal.}_ The saboteur replied as he perched on the edge of the berth next to his spark-mate.

The tactician frowned slightly at that as he glanced down at his too quiet offspring _{Have you spoken to him about what happened?}_

The Solstice vented a small sigh out of his intakes _{Yea I have.}_

The Dodge Charger took another sip of his energon _{I think once I'm well enough, I shall have to spend some father and son time with Blue.}_

_{I was gonna suggest that to ya, think he needs it.} _Jazz told his spark-mate as he glanced down toward the end of the berth where their son was still sat.

_{Hmm.}_ Prowl simply hummed in response before a slight grimace made its way onto his facial plates, the ache that had began in the joints of his door-wings had become marginally more painful.

"Love?" The saboteur asked out loud as he placed his mug of energon down upon the bedside cabinet, then turned fully to face his bonded.

"Its nothing." The tactician responded, trying to prevent the grimace from becoming an all out cringe instead.

The youngling shuffled round of his aft and glanced at his sire with concern and worry etched upon his young facial plates "Father's door-wings are hurting him daddy."

"Prowl." The Solstice rumbled in a disapproving tone, he felt somewhat annoyed that his spark-mate would neglect to inform him of what was ailing him especially more so now that he was recovering from serious injuries.

"The pain will go away, it always does." The Dodge Charger told him "besides I didn't want to burden you any further."

"Prowler ya're hardly a burden, now shift forward so I can sit behind ya." The silver mech instructed his mate. Prowl simply grumbled at his mate as he stiffly shuffled himself forward in order to make some room behind himself, then he allowed his door-wings to fall open fully so the joints were exposed. Jazz slid in behind his bonded and made himself comfortable, he watched as the tactician tensed briefly as he activated his magnetic constrictor coils in his palms then his mate momentarily relaxed the second the saboteur began tracing the delicate joints with magnetic pulses. In fact Ratchet had suggested that the Solstice try a little magnetic manipulation therapy on his bonded's door-wings as not only would it alleviate the aches that would no doubt plague the Dodge Charger, but also help stretch and loosen the newly replaced muscle cables and energon lines.

The tactician murmured something lowly in appreciation as the low magnetic pulses washed over the joints easing the aches and the slight throbbing pain from the cables. He had to admit he was extremely lucky to have a spark-mate who had magnetic capabilities, but felt even luckier to have a child that was neither an attention seeker nor demanding. Speaking of Bluestreak, the youngling had abandoned his game pad and decided to sit down beside his father, however the little grey mechlet didn't snuggle into his side like he normally would, but instead splayed his sensory panels like his sire had done then twitched them in a silent request.

An amused chuckle came from behind Prowl when Jazz noticed Bluestreak's antics "Oh I see, usin' me are we?" The youngling grinned cheekily at his carrier before facing forwards again and twitching his small back appendages. The saboteur shook his helm in amusement as he removed his left clawed hand from his bonded's back and transferred it to his son's. The little grey mechlet instantly began purring and relaxed completely, the Solstice couldn't help the small laugh that escaped him. A chuckle also escaped the Dodge Charger as Prowl too found their creation's antics incredibly funny. However the pair of them were fully aware of just how much the small half Praxian enjoyed the massages as well, after all he too was prone to the troubling aches and pains just like his father was. Suddenly after a few brief moments Jazz was alerted to the sound of systems powering down into recharge before his spark-mate slumped back against him, Bluestreak who had also been on the verge of recharge, snapped out of the haze that was beginning to settle in his processor and glanced at his carrier with a mixture of surprise and concern upon his young facial plates. The saboteur simply chuckled as he tried to manoeuvre out from behind his bonded without waking him, the Solstice slid off the berth then spent a couple of minutes arranging the tactician into a comfortable position.

"Come on Blue." Jazz whispered to his son, he held out a single clawed hand for the youngling to take. The little grey mechlet glanced at his father before reluctantly sliding off the large berth and following his daddy out of the berth-room. Bluestreak stood beside the couch watching as his carrier went about tidying up the main living space despite the fact that it was relatively clean anyway. The youngling knew that his carrier was due to report to duty very shortly which also meant that he would be taken to one of his caretakers for the afternoon until his daddy could collect him. However the little grey mechlet wasn't all that pleased with the idea, he wanted to stay with his sire and make sure he was going to be alright. After all his carrier was going to be leaving him on his own for an undetermined period of time, although the special bracelet his father was currently wearing on his left wrist would bring Ratchet to his sire's aid if he should need anything.

"Right kiddo c'mon." The saboteur said as he made his way over to the doorway, he frowned when he didn't hear the distinct sound of his son's peds following him. The Solstice turned and his frown deepened when he spotted his creation still stood beside the couch with a troubled look upon his facial plates "Blue?"

Bright baby blue optics met his when the youngling heard his designation being called "Daddy I wanna stay here with father, can I please?"

"Baby ya father needs ta rest, an' I can't leave ya here on ya own." Jazz told the little grey mechlet as he made his way back over and crouched in front of Bluestreak "we'll be gone only fer a couple of hours, an' remember ole Ratch is keepin' an optic on ya sire too."

The youngling glanced down at his peds whilst he twiddled his fingers nervously "I know, but I wanna stay here dad."

The saboteur vented a sigh, he was so easily reminded of just how much like Prowl Bluestreak was becoming with each passing day, especially the stubborn streak he was now exhibiting. Although the Solstice had been told that his son's stubbornness was capable of rivalling both his and Prowl's put together "Alright I'll let you stay here, but I'm gonna ask ya uncle 'Cade ta come an' watch ya." _'That's if the fragger hasn't decided to ignore Ratchet's orders an' left th' base.' _The silver mech wanted to add but didn't, he knew what the shock trooper was like when it came to him supposedly recuperating. However Jazz understood that the Mustang had it ingrained in him from serving in the Decepticon faction, that regardless of whether he was recovering from a serious injury or not he had to continue moving or be left behind.

The youngling nodded, his little sensory panels waving back and forth as he brightened at the thought of being allowed to stay "Okay."

The saboteur pushed himself up to his full height, connecting to the network hub at the same time as he did so, checking to see whether Barricade was still at Diego Garcia. Surprisingly enough the shock trooper's transponder was still logged as being at the base, although the Solstice knew that despite the stoic demeanour the other black and white mech exhibited; Barricade did care when his little brother had been injured even if he didn't show it openly. The silver mech pinged the shock trooper's comm. link and inquired as to whether he was available to watch over Bluestreak and despite the Mustang's grumbling that he wasn't a glorified babysitter, agreed to it anyway. Bluestreak in the mean time, clambered up onto the couch and made himself quite comfortable in the corner before fishing down the side nearest to him for the data-slate he had been using the previous night. However it was plucked out of his grasp and a much smaller one replaced it, the youngling pouted and his little sensory panels drooped when he noticed what was on the pad. Baby blue optics glanced up at his carrier imploring him to give him something else to do.

"Sorry Blue, but ya know th' drill, school work then ya can watch cartoons." The saboteur told his creation "'sides don't ya wanna finish th' maths problems ya father gave ya ta do?" The little grey mechlet took another look at the pad, his sensory panels twitching upwards before he slid the stylus out of its slot at the bottom.

A small smile tugged at one corner of the Solstice's lip components as he watched his son tap the stylus briefly against the side of his chin plating then quickly writing down the answer upon the pad. The maths problems Prowl had given Bluestreak ranged from easy to hard (although not too hard so the youngling couldn't solve them), the same levels of difficulty also extended to the other subjects he was learning about. The silver mech perched himself on the arm of the couch after briefly checking his spark-mate was alright, he was clearly aware that his creation had watched him cross the room and poke his finned helm into the berth-room as the little grey mechlet was looking at him when he returned. Jazz sent a wave of reassurance to his son over the bond before Bluestreak returned his attention back to the problems on the pad, the saboteur knew how concerned the youngling was about his father, after all the little grey mechlet had never come close to nearly losing one of his parents before. The Solstice understood that Bluestreak shared a strong bond with Prowl as the youngling absolutely loved his father to pieces, and the tactician would spend as much of his off duty hours as he could with their son. The silver mech was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard the door chime sound, Jazz slipped off the arm of the couch and made his way over, he palmed the pad on the wall and the doors slid open.

"Thanks fer comin' 'Cade." The saboteur said to the shock trooper as he stepped aside to allow the Mustang entry.

Four crimson optics glanced at him "I take it the tyke refused to leave?"

The Solstice vented a small sigh as he glanced over to Bluestreak, the youngling was now sprawled out on his belly on the couch, his legs bent at the knees and crossed at the ankles whilst a look of deep concentration was etched upon his young facial plates "Yea he finally decided ta show that he's got his father's stubborn streak."

A low rumbling chuckle escaped Barricade at that "Speaking of which, where is that younger brother of mine?" The shock trooper inquired as he scanned the room, although the Mustang had a fairly good idea he knew he was.

"Currently rechargin'." Jazz replied as he checked his internal chronometer, taking note that he was in fact a few minutes late for his shift. However he knew Optimus would forgive him for his lateness although if that rodent Galloway was in the control room, then he was guaranteed to receive a minor lecture about tardiness from his commander "he'll probably be like that fer th' next couple of hours, Blue's got a few projects ta finish so don't let 'im use th' kicked puppy look on ya an' ….."

"Yes, yes I know now go before that paranoid security director of yours puts the word out that he suspects I've murdered you all with your lack of presence outside of these walls." The Mustang grumbled as he pushed and lightly shoved the silver mech out of his own quarters, then promptly punched the pad on the wall closing the doors before the Autobot's 3IC could rebuke him for his behaviour.

"You know dad's gonna kick your butt later for that." Bluestreak told his uncle once he had reined in his giggles.

"I would like to see him try youngling." Barricade rumbled as he made his way over, he perched his aft on the arm of the couch and folded his arms across his chest plates "So what evil has your carrier decided to bestow upon you?"

The youngling pulled himself up and shuffled across the couch until he was sat beside his uncle "Some maths problems father gave me, then I still have a few science questions for Skyfire to do."

"Sounds like fun." The shock trooper said.

"Not really, but dad says learning stuff is good for me." The little grey mechlet replied as he glanced up at the Mustang "did you have schools on Cybertron uncle 'Cade?"

"We certainly did little one." The shock trooper told him, a small smile threatened to tug at one corner of his lip components when he noticed the youngling quirk an optic ridge in curiosity, in fact it was in the same way that his little brother did when something caught his attention. The Mustang snorted lightly, Bluestreak was most definitely turning out to be his father's son "and they were vastly different from the education system here on Earth."

"How so?" The little grey mechlet asked, his little sensory panels twitching back and forth.

"I'll make you a deal youngling, you finish those problems and those science questions, then I'll tell you anything you want to know." Barricade responded.

A small grin worked its way onto Bluestreak's facial plates "Okay."

The shock trooper had to admit that he was surprised that the youngling had relented so easily, but then again his nephew had been appeared somewhat subdued the past few days since his father had been injured. Not that the Mustang could blame him since he too, although he wouldn't admit it out loud, had been deeply concerned for his little brother's welfare. Barricade sat quietly upon the arm of the couch, although he did migrate eventually to the seat itself, as he watched Bluestreak work through the maths problems that had been given to him, however every now and again he had to show the youngling how to work out a particular sum before leaving him to his own devices by checking in on his sibling. Of course every time that he did, it drew the attention of the little grey mechlet who immediately asked if his father was alright, the shock trooper took note that Bluestreak would only settle if he was told that yes his sire was fine and was still simply recharging. He could understand the youngling's paranoia since the little grey mechlet had been so close to actually losing one of his parents, however it wouldn't have been the first time and it certainly wasn't going to be the last time either as Bluestreak grew from youngling to adult.

Surprisingly enough during the course of the early afternoon, Prowl decided to make his appearance and joined his brother and his son on the floor as the pair were currently playing a transformer sized game of of battleships. The little grey mechlet snuggled into his father's side quite happily, he felt his young spark reach along the bond as it tried to reaffirm the connection with the spark that had been partially responsible for its creation. Barricade snorted in amusement when he heard a small contented purr escape Bluestreak as the youngling cuddled as he snuggled that little bit more into his sire's side, his little sensory panels twitching slightly upon his back. The shock trooper was hardly a believer in Primus and all his do goody crap, but increasingly over the years and especially more over the past several days, he was beginning to have a little bit of faith in their deity. After all he figured his brother's chances of survival would have been slim without a little divine intervention.

The afternoon passed relatively quickly as the three of them remained upon the floor, although Bluestreak soon migrated to the couch again and sprawled himself across the cushions as he started work on the data-pad again. The youngling only moved when he either needed his father or his uncle to solve a particularly difficult problem or question, although the little grey mechlet was disturbed from his school work every now and again when a data-slate with amusing stick figures on it was pushed into his field of vision. Prowl gave his older sibling a disapproving look at first, but once Barricade explained to him that the last few days had been particularly hard on Bluestreak, the tactician allowed his slightly tense frame to relax however he couldn't help the guilt that was beginning to grip his spark, he felt that he was being terribly unfair to his son by putting him through the stress and worry at such a young age. But the Dodge Charger understood as he stole the slate from his sibling and began drawing himself, that his creation was never short of mechs and humans who would take the time to listen to the youngling. A fact he was most grateful for as he slid the slate onto the couch and watched as his son burst out laughing at the sketch he had drawn.

An amused chuckle escaped the shock trooper "I think brother, you should stick to the artistry of tactical planning."

"As if you can draw any better dear brother of mine." Prowl remarked playfully as he lightly shoved his older sibling whilst ignoring the small twinge in his spinal struts "you know you don't have to stay, I'll be alright looking after Blue on my own."

Barricade met his younger brother's gaze "I know you're capable of looking after your own offspring, but I rather not bring the ire of your bond-mate down upon myself should you exhaust yourself." The shock trooper glanced up at the youngling when he heard a noise of frustration escape the little grey mechlet. It seemed his brother had heard it to as the tactician turned slightly and reached for the pad and stylus, he looked over the problem his son was struggling with and wrote down a simple formula so his creation could solve it more easily. Once he had done that he handed the data-pad back to Bluestreak. The youngling glanced down at the screen and looked at the written formula his father had given him, the little grey mechlet made a small noise of triumph as he quickly figured out the answer and wrote it down.

_{You know he reminds me a lot of you when you were his age, although he's hardly done any of the antics that you use to get up too.}_ Barricade told his younger brother over the bond, crimson gaze flickered briefly to Prowl before it settled upon Bluestreak again. A small smirk appeared upon his lip components which he noticed brought a slightly concerned look to the Dodge Charger's facial plates.

_{Don't you even think about it.} _The tactician growled at him, he straightened his posture slightly only to regret doing so when a small ache began to work its way into his door-wing joints.

The smirk only grew on the shock trooper's lip components "Blue." He called catching the youngling's attention, the little grey mechlet glanced at him curiously "did you know when your father was your age, he …."

"Don't even think it or I'll let it slip to the twins that it was you who set them up two weeks ago to take the fall for that prank on Ironhide." The Dodge Charger told his brother, a smirk now beginning to grace his own lip components.

The Mustang shot his younger sibling a light glare as he pushed himself up onto his peds "Well then I ought to go and get my aft handed to me now then won't I?" He stepped past the other black and white "but don't think for a second little brother that I won't tell lil Blue about your exploits as a youngling."

A grin worked its way onto Prowl's facial plates "Unless I get there first, I remember quite a few incriminating moments when you too were a youngling dear brother of mine."

A dark chuckle escaped Barricade as he glanced over his shoulder "I have many starting from day one believe me." With that the shock trooper left his sibling's quarters. The tactician shook his head in amusement, he knew Barricade would hold true to his word and show his son just how much Bluestreak was truly like his father when Prowl had been his age. However for now he had other plans, ones he knew would earn him a stern lecturing from Ratchet should the CMO find out what he was up to. Not that he was particularly bothered as he was feeling quite bored not too mention he felt somewhat suffocated being stuck in his quarters for several days.

The Dodge Charger stiffly pushed himself up onto his peds, biting back the groan that wanted to escape his vocaliser before he turned his attention to the youngling watching him closely "Come on Blue."

The little grey mechlet scrambled to sit up and peered up at his sire with a curious look upon his facial plates "Where we going? Coz dad says we're not supposed to leave here."

Prowl held out a single clawed hand for his creation to take "Somewhere other than here, and besides I'm simply doing what your carrier suggested I do earlier."

"Okay." Bluestreak simply replied as he slid off the couch and took the proffered hand, the tactician offered his son a small smile before leading him out of quarters and through the base. The pair of them were met with several surprised looks from the human soldiers, not too mention a few 'welcome back' and 'glad to see you're okay' from them. The pair of them made their way through the interconnecting corridors as they headed to the departure room, although on the way there the tactician was contacted by Ratchet as the medic demanded to know where he was going. The Dodge Charger calmly explained to him that he was simply heading to the Ark with his son, and that he had no intention of doing anything strenuous since he knew that he hadn't even been allowed back onto light duty, the CMO simply grumbled a few words at him before he promptly closed the comm. link. Both father and son finally made it to the gate room where Prowl keyed in his command code to unlock the system (a new security measure Red Alert had insisted that it be installed) before he input the destination co-ordinates, it took only a few seconds for the gate to activate and several more for both the tactician and the youngling to step through it and onto the Ark.

"Where we goin' father?" The little grey mechlet inquired as he glanced up at his sire with a curious look upon his facial plates, his little sensory panels twitching back and forth.

"You'll see once we get there." The Dodge Charger told his son as he led him through the burnt copper painted corridors, he knew that once he was truly back to fully functioning status that he would have to take Bluestreak away from the base on a small outing to different destinations around the world. The pair of them finally arrived at a large pair of doors and Prowl entered his command code into the keypad and the doors slid open, then the tactician ushered the youngling into the dimly lit room. The little grey mechlet glanced around the large chamber, he had never been brought here and he was curious as to the reason why his father had brought him to this place.

"Go stand upon the podium." The Dodge Charger instructed his son as he headed over to the consoles that were sat in a crescent shape in front of a very large screen, Bluestreak trotted over to the centre platform and climbed the couple of steps before turning to glance at his sire "watch above you." The youngling looked above him and frowned slightly when all that greeted him was the ceiling that was until a bright ball of white light appeared above him. The little grey mechlet whirled in curiosity at the sight, his little sensory panels fluttering upon his back, he heard a small chuckle escape his father before his attention was drawn back to the sphere as it shattered and formed into a beautiful swirling array of stars around him. Bluestreak giggled as he twirled upon the spot, his diminutive hand sweeping through the holographic display of glowing dots.

"Oh wow!" The youngling exclaimed, he poked a large star and watched in wonder as it expanded to show a star system. The little grey mechlet stood completely entranced by the different planets varying in sizes and colours orbiting their singular sun. Prowl shook his head in amusement as he stiffly sat upon the edge of the platform, watching his creation happily poke at the different stars and opening up their star systems. It was the one thing the tactician knew truly fascinated Bluestreak as the youngling sometimes requested that they go out onto the beach and look at the stars, of course Prowl and Jazz never denied their child that one simple request and ended up sitting under the stars naming the different constellations and enjoying the moment together as a family. Which was why the tactician had brought his son up to the Ark so he could spend some much needed father/son time with Bluestreak after everything that had happened recently, and to show him the different galaxies and star systems all in one room without fear of Decepticon attack, or being disturbed by anyone.

Which was how Jazz found them a few hours later after he had been told by Barricade that his brother had left the base and headed up to the Ark, the saboteur had been amused by the swift and hasty retreat the shock trooper had pulled off. Although the Solstice was concerned that his spark-mate might be pushing himself a little too much whilst he was supposed to be recuperating, however Jazz knew exactly what the tactician was like when it came to sitting idle. The saboteur swiftly made his way through the interconnecting corridors before he finally arrived at the astrometrics lab, he keyed in the code then stepped inside once the doors slid open. A small smile appeared upon his lip components as he quietly made his way over to the raised platform in the centre of the room, the lights were dimmed to an absolute minimum so the beautiful display of a swirling galaxy of stars stood out in the dark room. The silver mech's gaze fell upon the inert form of his bonded only for his grin to widen when he saw their creation sat happily in his father's lap.

"Ya know if ya go ta th' observation deck, ya can see some pretty good stars there." Jazz said in a low voice as he sat down beside Prowl.

The tactician glanced at his bonded "I know, however they do pale in comparison to the ones we have encountered."

"No argument from me there." The saboteur responded as he glanced up at the sparkling array of blues, reds, purples and golds. A brief silence fell between the small family before the Solstice leaned over slightly so only a hairbreadth was between him and his spark-mate "ya know ya supposed ta remain on base until Ratch says ya fit ta leave."

The Dodge Charger snorted lightly "He does know that I am up here, but he's welcome to lecture me all he wants once we return to Earth."

The silver mech chuckled as he snuggled into the black and white mech's side, his arms sliding around Prowl's waist whilst his finned helm came to rest upon his right shoulder strut "Once we get back, right now I'm happy ta stay here 'sides its not often we get ta sleep under th' stars without fear of th' Decepticons attacking."

"Very true." The tactician responded as he allowed his helm to come to rest upon the top most of Jazz's whilst making sure the spiky helm protrusions didn't stick him in the throat, the Dodge Charger wrapped one arm around his spark-mate's back and the other around Bluestreak holding his family close.

* * *

_A/N: Another one down, and yes there are still a few more one shots to come, just bear with me._

_Read & Review!_


	29. Of Younglings and Unexpected Visitors

_**9Title**: Of Younglings and Unexpected Visitors_

_**Rating**: K+_

_**Universe: **Post Movie 07/09 Verse AU_

_**Characters**:Youngling Bluestreak, Jazz, Barricade, Ocs Shimmer and Jenny, and ensemble_

_**Warnings**:Fluff, use of profanities, brief mention Of Younglings and Devious Plans_

_**Disclaimer**:Not mine, I just like to toy with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition, the Ocs don't belong to me, but to Sounddrive however I have permission to use them._

_I had this finished at the beginning of the week, but i had trouble uploading it. BlackVelvet, I'm definitely getting your PMs, but unfortunately there seems to be no way for me to contact you. And to everyone else, thank you for reviewing and adding this to your favourites! :)_

_A request for Sounddrive, hope you enjoy hun! _

Bluestreak watched from the relative safety behind his carrier's left leg as the transwarp gate flared to life in the large room. The youngling shrunk back a little further into his daddy's shadow, they were currently expecting a couple of visitors from the recommissioned Tranquillity base where Ultra Magnus had taken both his team and the newly arrived Aerialbots too. The little grey mechlet had been told about another youngling roughly his own age, lived on the other military installation with a teenager who had rescued her. Her, Bluestreak's sensory panels twitched on his back, the only femme he had known in his short life was Arcee, and she was one of his favourite caretakers. That combined with the strange fact that she was also his cousin too, since she was the niece of his carrier offered her that privilege, made her family too like his uncle Barricade. However he was still apprehensive about his new cousin, but he would give her a chance and try to make friends with the little femme. Bluestreak glanced up at the portal a a young teenage girl of Asian and American decent stepped through the gate, the youngling's back appendages twitched upwards when he saw the unusual silver wings sprouting from the young woman's back, then a shimmer of silver plating from behind the girl caught the little grey mechlet's attention. Two bright blue optics peered out from the young woman's leg and met his brilliant baby blue optics, Bluestreak glanced up at his carrier uncertain of what action to take next.

"Looks like both of our younglings are being quite shy." The young woman said as she glanced down at the little femling who was using her to hide behind.

"Sure does, although Blue's not normally shy." Jazz replied as he glanced down at his son, the youngling was simply staring at his cousin as if she was the most strangest thing in the universe "ya can say hello ya know." The little grey mechlet shrunk further back into his daddy's shadow so he was almost shielded from view.

"Don't wanna." Bluestreak mumbled to himself as he stared at the intricate array of muscle cables and tubes in the back of his carrier's knee joint.

"Aw Blue, Shimmer's not gonna bite." The young girl said as she glanced at the other youngling using his daddy to hide behind.

"Jenny's right lil Blue sides ya didn't shy away from those human kids ..." The little grey mechlet gave his carrier a pointed look "... okay you did briefly 'fore Annie managed to convince ya to go an' play wit' them."

"Still don't wanna." Bluestreak told his daddy, missing the small sad look appearing upon the little femme's facial plates before it evolved into a slightly annoyed look.

The near exact same annoyed look the saboteur noticed that his rarely known about sister use to give him when he had done something to irritate her. A small wave of sadness tugged at his spark, the Solstice truly missed both of his siblings but he was glad there was at least one living reminder of his sister, Ricochet never seemed the settling down type. Although originally his sister had, had three offspring at first until the two older young mechs Chrome and Granite had been killed during a Decepticon attack on a base.

"Crap I shoulda been on duty two minutes ago an' you lil lady should be in a debriefin' right about now." Jazz said after checking his internal chronometer. The saboteur noticed the minute stiffening of Shimmer's frame and the wide optic look the silver coloured youngling gave her guardian.

Jenny glanced down at the little femme who had tucked herself more against her "I assume I can't take Shimmer with me?"

"'Fraid not lil lady protocol doesn't permit it an' all that jazz, but I know someone who can take her fer th' time bein', in fact I'm gonna be handin' Blue over ta him too." The Solstice told the human teenager, although the silver mech figured Jenny was going to have a small battle on her hands when it came to his niece leaving her guardian's side. After all Bluestreak had been accustomed to leaving his parent's side in order to be looked after by his caretakers and guardians, where as in Shimmer's case the little femme had hardly ever left Jenny's side at all.

"I don't wanna go Angel*, pretty please can I stay with you I promise to be good." Shimmer pleaded with her guardian, her bright baby blue optics widening by a small fraction as she attempted the kicked turbo-puppy look.

The teenager sighed "You have to go with your uncle Jazz for now, then I'll come and get you, besides its only for a couple of hours anyway."

Shimmer vented a heavy sigh in defeat as she visibly deflated "Alright."

"Come on Kiddo, the sooner Jenny gets in that debriefin', th' sooner ya get ta see her." Jazz told the silver youngling as he turned to leave, Bluestreak close behind him.

Jenny gently stroked one of the small winged protrusions sprouting from either side of Shimmer's helm, she murmured a few soft words of reassurance before gently pushing her in the direction of the saboteur. The little silver youngling trudged reluctantly over to her uncle and her cousin before following the pair of them out of the gate room. Shimmer glanced at the little grey youngling and noticed that every now and again, he would flick a sensory panel out of the way and glance at her. The little femme muttered something unintelligibly under her breath, she was beginning to wonder whether her cousin had ever seen a femme before, well it was either that or he was just checking to make sure she was still following him and his parent.

The three of them quickly made their way through the inter-connecting corridors, Shimmer subconsciously moved closer to her uncle after her human they passed although the little silver femme couldn't help but notice how her cousin appeared to be leaving more and more of his creator's side as he greeted each human soldier they met. Shimmer wasn't quite sure what to make of the grey youngling yet as he seemed to talk too much, that and he was very enthusiastic in the way that he carried himself. Suddenly the little femme felt rather alone, not too mention a small ache in her spark made her realise just how much she missed her own family as she watched her cousin interact with his parent. However surprisingly enough she felt a small wave of reassurance flow through the slowly steadying family bond she shared with her uncle.

"Ah ha just th' mech I was lookin' for." Shimmer heard Jazz say which drew her out of her thoughts, the little femme glanced in the direction in which her uncle had headed in only to freeze in her tracks when her baby blue optics fell upon the menacing black and white form stood not far from them. Shimmer felt her small fuel pump almost stutter in her chest as those four deep crimson optics fell upon her little frame, she shrunk back as fear began coursing through her. The last time she had seen a Decepticon, her mother had paid the nasty encounter they had with him with her life; a brutal scene she hoped her young optics would never have to witness again. The little femme squeaked in both terror and fear as she stared at the Decepticon stood before her, especially more so now when her uncle announced he would be leaving both her and her cousin to the tender mercies of this 'Barricade'.

"Hey Shimmer, ya got nuthin' ta fear from 'Cade, he's one of us." Jazz told his niece as he lightly pushed the little silver femme in the direction of the shock trooper.

"I don't wanna go!" She cried "he's a fraggin' 'con!"

The sudden use of the expletive coming from Shimmer's mouth plates silenced the entire hangar. Both the saboteur and the shock trooper couldn't help but stare in shock at the little femme whilst Bluestreak visibly bristled at the behaviour his cousin was exhibiting towards his uncle.

"That's not nice! Take that back!" The little grey mechlet snapped, his small sensory panels flaring up into a rigid 'V' position.

"No!" Shimmer snapped in return, her gaze fierce as she glared at her cousin. The two younglings stood rigidly upon the sot they were currently standing on, their little frames coiled with tension.

The Solstice shook himself out of his shocked state "Well it looks like you're gonna have some fun wit' these two."

Barricade glared at Jazz "You plan to leave me with two bickering younglings?" The shock trooper glanced over to where the pair of them were still glaring at one another, although now low just barely audible growls were escaping their vocalisers.

"Yep, 'sides I've got Prowl hollerin' fer me ta get ma lazy aft inta gear, the cheeky fragger." The saboteur responded, a small concerned frown appeared upon his facial plates when his gaze lingered upon the little mechlet and femling before he glanced at the black and white mech beside him, he happened to notice that Barricade's gaze was also on the two younglings "I shouldn't worry too much, they're just posturin' its when they decide ta throw a fist I'd be a little more concerned."

"Brilliant." The shock trooper grumbled to himself.

The Solstice gripped one of his elbow joints in reassurance "You'll be fine, just don't do anythin' ta scare her or you'll have her guardian ta answer to." The Mustang cocked his helm to the side in an imitation of an eye roll before he began shooing the silver mech away.

Barricade watched as Jazz disappeared from sight before he turned his attention to the two younglings "Alright you two come on, you can finish your battle of who can give the best glare when we reach the cove." Bluestreak immediately snapped his attention to his uncle at the mention of his favourite destination, the little grey mechlet rushed over and stood beside the shock trooper. Shimmer on the other servo was much more hesitant in approaching the Mustang "I'm not going to hurt you femling." The little silver femme wasn't quite convinced and gave the black and white mech a sceptical look at what she thought about the idea. Bluestreak made a small noise of frustration and impatience at his cousin's reluctance to move from the spot she appeared to be rooted too, of course said noises he made only earned him a light glare from Shimmer, but the little grey mechlet simply flicked his sensory panels in annoyance.

"I understand your reluctance, but I promise no harm will come to you." Barricade told the little femme as he knelt down in front of her, taking note of how she only slightly flinched at his close proximity. The shock trooper held out a clawed hand hoping to gain her trust and was surprised when the little silver femme reached out and hesitantly curled her diminutive fingers around two of his. The Mustang offered her a small smile before he pushed himself to stand up fully, he then made his way over to where Bluestreak was still stood and offered his other hand to the little grey mechlet. Bluestreak latched onto the proffered hand before Barricade led the two younglings out of the base and into the somewhat humid base grounds. It came as no surprise that once they had left the somewhat busy grounds that Bluestreak let go of the clawed hand he had been holding and rushed off along the beach, Shimmer however didn't let go of the hand she was holding simply because the little femme was captivated by the scenery around her. Although every now and again her attention was drawn to the forefront when her cousin trotted back to her side and shyly handed her a beautifully coloured shell he had found on the beach, Shimmer was surprised by the gesture and timidly said thanks in return before the little grey mechlet took off again.

"Bluestreak never holds grudges and when he does, they're never for too long." Barricade told the little silver femme, startling her slightly when he spoke. Shimmer glanced up at him their gazes meeting, the little silver femme appeared to be much more confident around him than before "go and join your cousin, there's nothing out here that'll harm you." _'Well except maybe those Primus forsaken crabs that Blue keeps attracting' _The shock trooper wanted to add but didn't. He wasn't all that particularly bothered about younglings, however there was a limit on the length of time that he allowed close contact of any kind. Well with the exception of Bluestreak of course, he was the only youngling he truly had a soft spot for in his spark. Shimmer appeared uncertain at first, but when the little grey mechlet came back and tagged her, that was once he had deposited the handful of sea shells and collection of pebbles in his uncle's servos. Not one to let a challenge slip past her, Shimmer let go of the Mustang's hand and chased after Bluestreak. A small chuckle escaped the black and white mech as he watched his nephew nimbly dodge out of the way of the little silver femme's outstretched hand, it was the same manoeuvre he had taught the little grey mechlet which more often than not grated on his parents as he tended to pull it off when it was around bedtime. He had received a few grumbled complaints from both his brother and his spark-mate, and as punishment he had been conscripted into service when Bluestreak choose to be particularly picky. Speaking of a certain youngling, the little grey mechlet had been finally rugby tackled and the pair of them were wrestling in the sand, mad giggles leaving their vocalisers. Barricade shook his head in amusement as he continued walking, he was fully aware of the fact that the two younglings were still play fighting a few metres behind him.

"Come on you two or those thrice be damned crabs will get you." The shock trooper called back to the pair of them, he glanced over his shoulder in time to see both Bluestreak and Shimmer scramble up from the sand and rush over to him. The little silver femme clung to one of his legs whilst the little grey mechlet glanced around, his baby blue optics looking for the crustacean in question. When Bluestreak finally noticed the lack of a shiny shell anywhere upon the beach, the youngling sun round to face his uncle and glared up at him.

"That's mean uncle 'Cade, there's no evil crab anywhere an' you tricked us inta believin' there was one, meany." The little grey mechlet scolded his uncle as he planted both of his hands on his hips, his little sensory panels flaring up into a rigid 'V' formation.

Shimmer pulled away and also threw a glare at the Mustang "You're mean."

"So I've been told, repeatedly." Barricade grumbled to himself as he watched the two younglings take off again, tagging each other before it morphed into light shoving. The shock trooper knew Bluestreak was incredibly happy about having another youngling on the base despite their rough start, in fact a part of him had been prepared for the reaction he had gotten from the young femme when they first met. After all the little grey mechlet had known him since he was six months old, where as in Shimmer's case the little femme only knew the Decepticons as the enemy and not as a possible ally. Actually he had to admit that he was quite surprised by how easily Shimmer had warmed up to him, although he figured the femme was simply following her uncle's advice that he was safe to be around, despite the fact the saboteur knew just how deadly he could be in battle.

Barricade watched as the two younglings raced off to where a few boulders lined the shore, and where he knew there was likely to be a couple of rock pools for the pair of them to investigate. The shock trooper snorted lightly to himself as he made his way over to the shade under the palm trees, after all having black painted plating on the island which could reach temperature of eighty degrees Fahrenheit (thirty one degrees Celsius) wasn't exactly comfortable. At least he understood to some degree why Ironhide was always grouchy and preferred the cooler climates, not that the trigger happy lugnut wasn't grouchy anyway, well unless he was handing a royal aft kicking to the rambunctious twin Lamborghinis. But then again who wouldn't since not only were they likely to get themselves killed one day with their reckless antics, they were also particularly irritating especially a certain red hellion. In fact the Mustang couldn't understand why his brother and his bond-mate didn't get those moronic pair to youngling sit more often, then using him as a glorified babysitter. Not that he didn't enjoy his nephew's company as Bluestreak was quite the comedian sometimes, but when the little grey mechlet was joined by another his age, it tended to turn into anarchy.

The Mustang plonked his aft near a sturdy looking tree and leant against it, drawing his his left knee up to his chest and allowed his left forearm to rest upon it. His crimson optics fell upon the two younglings but more noticeably on Bluestreak as Barricade watched the little grey mechlet point out a few things, his little sensory panels fluttering upon his back whilst Shimmer's finned helm moved slightly closer. A chuckle escaped the shock trooper as Bluestreak slipped one of his hands into the rock pool and drew out what looked like a small crustacean, the little silver femme was none too pleased about being shown a small crab and scrambled off the rocks throwing a few choice words at her cousin. The Mustang shook his head in amusement, Bluestreak was certainly not afraid of anything small and bug like all courtesy of that Naturalist tracking specialist who enjoyed heading out to the muckiest places on this planet. Thankfully his brother and his bond-mate had enough sense not to allow their creation to go with him. Speaking of Prowl, he had never known his sibling to be afraid of Arachnids until Bluestreak had come across a pet tarantula on the base (how the critter had ended up on Diego Garcia he had no idea), and had presented it to his sire, then asked if he could keep it. The black and white mech couldn't help the small laugh as he easily recalled the barely there terrified look upon his brother's facial plates as he stepped back and away from his son. Lucky enough 'Bert's' (a random choice of name made by Bluestreak) owner had shown up several minutes later, and the youngling had reluctantly handed the hairy critter back to the soldier, then he had proceeded to ask his father if he could have one only to end up crashing the Dodge Charger's processor with the thought. Barricade had tormented his brother for days afterwards since he found it particularly amusing that Prowl could face an entire Decepticon army without fear, but he was easily spooked by a small arachnid that he could easily step on. Of course he had paid for tormenting his younger sibling by being sent to the coldest and wettest place on the planet with the psychotic gold twin of all mechs, he had been so close to murdering Sunstreaker but had held back since he knew Bluestreak was quite attached to the front-liner.

Suddenly the shook trooper was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard the slight displacement of air as though someone had just teleported into the Diego Garcia air space before he heard the distinct droning noise of three aircraft engines. The Mustang scrambled up onto his peds, his sensors extending to their highest frequency whilst his crimson optics scanned the cloudless sky, watching and waiting for the unidentified air-crafts to show themselves. Barricade's gaze flickered briefly to where Bluestreak and Shimmer were still, to see that the little grey mechlet was also scanning the skies, his small sensory panels twitching upon his back. The little femme beside his nephew moved subtly closer to him, her own blue baby optics locked on the sky also as she tried to locate the three jets. Then suddenly one of Bluestreak's sensory panels flickered upwards and to the left, and in that instant the shock trooper's gaze locked on the three fighter jets soaring above their position, he reacted seconds later when his on board sensors recognised the IFF (identification friend or foe) codes which had to be broadcasted to the base; were none other than Starscream's trine. The Mustang raced across the beach toward where the two younglings had been, although now Bluestreak had picked himself up from the floor and was now running toward him dragging Shimmer with him. Barricade grabbed one of his nephew's arms the second the two younglings came within range, he pulled the pair of them to him and out of the way of the plasma round that slammed into the very spot they had been in moments ago. The shock trooper wasted no time in hastily shoving the pair of them behind him as he removed his rifle from sub-space, thumbed the safety off and immediately opened fire. The plasma round clipped the edge of Thundercracker's left wing forcing the blue and silver Raptor to pull out of his dive.

"Bluestreak take Shimmer and run for the cover of the trees, do you understand?" The Mustang growled lowly at the little grey mechlet before he spun round to deliver another shot to the attacking trine.

Bluestreak glanced at his uncle, his baby blue optics bright with anxiety and his little sensory panels trembling. A part of him knew he had to do what his uncle 'Cade told him to do which was run for cover and take Shimmer with him before Screamer and his two bozos saw them, however he didn't to leave his uncle on his own either especially when there was no-one around to help him. Barricade spun round when he could still feel his nephew's presence behind him, his crimson optics flashed with disbelief and a little bit if anger when his gaze fell upon the little grey mechlet. The shock trooper felt his systems race when his audio receptors heard the distinct whine of null ray laser cannons powering up.

"Bluestreak go now! I will not tell you again." The Mustang yelled, startling the little grey mechlet with his explosive outburst.

Bluestreak jumped, physically startled at being yelled at since he was never shouted at, told off yes but had never been admonished loudly by his parents of anyone else before. The little grey mechlet broke out into a run and began heading towards the tree-line whilst tugging Shimmer along with him. Bluestreak frowned at the nasty words leaving his cousin's vocaliser as she happily announced her disgruntlement at being dragged into the undergrowth where she was likely to get dirty. However right now the little grey mechlet was more concerned with hiding from the Decepticons rather than telling off the little silver femme who was still cursing up a storm. Then finally Bluestreak simply had enough of his cousin and her continual ranting which was potentially putting both of their lives at risk, so he spun round, his little sensory panels arching high as he glanced at Shimmer.

"Be quiet!" He snapped, his small frame tensing "I don't wanna be found by Screamer and his stupid goons."

The little silver femme bristled at the comment "How do I know that your uncle 'Cade didn't tell them where to find us anyway?"

The little grey mechlet visibly bristled at that "Take that back! Uncle 'Cade would never do that!"

"He's a 'Con." Shimmer snapped back at him as she pulled her arm out of his grasp.

"He was a long time ago, but not any more." Bluestreak argued back "he wouldn't do that anyway, my dad and father trust him so does old 'Hide, Optimus, uncle Sides and uncle Sunny." Shimmer stuck out her bottom lip in a pout and folded her arms across her silver chest plates in a huff, a small sigh escaped the little grey mechlet before he reached over and took one of the little silver femme's hands "I don't wanna fall out with ya Shimmer coz we need to get out of here quick." The little silver femme glanced at her cousin as she allowed her arms to drop down next to her sides, the other youngling was giving her the kicked turbo-puppy look.

"Okay what do we do?" Shimmer asked as she tried to scan the sky above the tree tops, she tried not to flinch in fear at the loud sounds of gunfire and clashing of metal upon metal. It eerily reminded her of what had happened back on Cybertron, however she had to push it all to the back of her processor.

"Dad an' father an' the others are on their way out so we gotta go back to the base." Bluestreak told her, he also flinched at the loud sounds coming from the beach not too far from them "come on." The little grey mechlet gripped the little silver femme's hand once again and began dragging Shimmer with him as he headed toward the base through the undergrowth. The little silver femme cursed every now and again when she tripped over a root jutting up from the sand, lucky enough her cousin was chivalrous enough to move the fern leaves out of her way rather than allow them to swing back and hit her in the face plate. Then suddenly and without warning there was a shift in the air near the two younglings which had Bluestreak's sensory panels twitching, then a laser blast impacted one of the trees causing it to explode in a shower of lethal looking splinters. Both Bluestreak and Shimmer cried out in surprise but neither of the pair dared to look back, not that they needed to as it was quite obvious who was after them.

"Come here you little fraggers." Growled the Decepticon as he ripped up trees so he could clear a path to the two younglings.

The little grey mechlet glanced over his left shoulder, flicking a sensory panel out of the way as he did so, to see a purple and black mech tear up a couple of coconut trees from the sand as he rushed toward them. A small devious smirk appeared upon Bluestreak's lip components when he recognised the Decepticon, the grey mechlet swung them completely about, prompting a surprised sound to escape Shimmer as he ran towards the Raptor.

"Come and get us Sky-jerk!" Bluestreak shouted at the flier as he stopped, in front of him, his sensory panels flaring upwards in defiance.

"Blue what are you doin'?" The little silver femme leant over and asked her cousin quietly.

Bluestreak flashed her a smirk "You'll see." The little grey mechlet turned to the black and purple Raptor who had been taken completely by surprise by Bluestreak's bold move.

Bluestreak placed the tip of his thumb upon the end of his nose and wiggled his fingers in a taunt "Nah, nah bet you can't catch us Decepticreep."

Skywarp shook himself out of the reverie he had fallen into and glared at the little grey mechlet "You bet your slagging little grey aft I can." The purple and black mech swiped a clawed hand in the direction of the two younglings with the intent to snag at least one of them, however Bluestreak simply ducked under the swipe whilst Shimmer skipped out of the way "little fraggers get back here!"

"Come on Sky-jerk! Or are ya getting' too old?" The little grey mechlet taunted the Raptor.

"Little pit fraggers, wait until I get my servos on you." Skywarp snarled as he lunged forward hoping to snag the little grey slagger who had just scrambled over a root arching up out of the sand. The Raptor growled lowly as his crimson gaze focused upon the small silver femme as she slipped behind a couple of palm trees, he decided to shift his attention to her as he knew that the little grey mechlet was likely to come running if he saw his little friend in trouble. The purple and black mech turned and chased after Shimmer, ripping palm trees out of his way although one of them wasn't quite relenting, and Skywarp heard his left shoulder joint pop as a result. However the Raptor simply pushed the discomfort to the back of his mind as he raced after the little femme, he heard her squeal in alarm when his clawed fingers sliced through the air just above her helm. On his second swipe towards the little silver femme, he managed to snag Shimmer's scruff bar and hauled her off the ground. Of course the little femme was none too pleased about being treated roughly as she kicked, screamed, cursed vehemently and attempted to bite the offending hand holding her captive.

"Ah ha got one of you little fraggers, an' Screamer thought I wouldn't be able to do it." The purple and black mech crowed in victory.

Shimmer growled loudly in her throat whilst she continued to kick out at the Decepticon "Oi slag fer brains, first sign of madness if your talkin' to yourself."

"Why you little …." Skywarp snarled at the youngling whilst making sure to keep her legs well out of range of his vital parts.

Shimmer threw him an ugly glare "Stupid ugly slagger! Let go of me you useless piece of slag!"

Skywarp managed to look somewhat startled by the use of language escaping the little silver femme, his moment of distraction however allowed Bluestreak to move in close and kick him in the shin. The Raptor howled in pain and dropped Shimmer in his haste to grab his injured leg. Then the little silver femme happily added to his troubles by kicking him in the other shin before she stormed over to where her cousin was currently stood, once she was within range Shimmer clipped the little grey mechlet around the back of the helm.

"Ow what was that for?" Bluestreak demanded as he glared at his cousin whilst rubbing at the sore spot on his helm.

Shimmer returned his glare with equal force "That's for lettin' jerk-face over there snag me."

"It wasn't on purpose." The little grey mechlet argued back, his sensory panels arching upwards in a sharp 'V'.

"Sure felt like it." The little silver femme snapped back, her entire frame tensing in agitation.

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was … we better run." Bluestreak pointed out as he glanced past Shimmer to see the Decepticon drop his foot to the ground and set his harsh if somewhat slightly angry crimson gaze on the pair of them.

"Hey don't change the ... whoa!" The little silver femme exclaimed in surprise as Bluestreak grabbed on of her hands and began dragging her through the undergrowth, and just in the nick of time as Skywarp opened fire with his integrated weaponry. Both younglings screamed in both fright and surprise as plant debris showered down over them, however that didn't stop their resolve at remaining one step ahead, although it was greatly hindered by the Decepticon's teleportation technique which had the pair of them ducking and skipping out of the way of clawed fingers attempting to snag one or both of them. The two younglings were beginning to tire from having to run and dodge the Raptor chasing after them, so Bluestreak decided to take matters into his own hands as he dragged his cousin behind a downed tree.

"What .. are you .. doing?" Shimmer hissed in-between harsh intakes of air, her little legs now aching.

"I got a plan." The little grey mechlet replied as he poked his helm over the top of the tree trunk, his baby blue optics searching for the purple and black mech. Bluestreak spotted him several metres away, scanning the undergrowth for the pair of them. The little grey mechlet knew it always took the adults longer to catch up since they were much bigger and a lot more heavy, after all he had become quite a pro at evading his parents. But despite this Decepticon being cumbersome, he was pretty tricky to get past and Bluestreak knew it it hadn't been for his past experience with the mech, he was sure they would have been captured by now.

"So what's the plan numb-nuts?" Shimmer demanded as she too poked her finned helm up over the tree trunk before she turned her attention to her cousin.

"Need to take Sky-jerk out so I need you to get him to chase ya." The little grey mechlet told her as he glanced at her.

"What? Why me?" The little silver femme asked quite sharply, her voice rising ever so slightly but enough to draw unwanted attention in their direction.

"Coz you're a girl and I said so and its my plan." Bluestreak replied, a frown working its way onto his facial plates.

"That's not fair, why should I be the bait just coz I'm a girl." Shimmer snapped as she directed a dark glare at her cousin.

The little grey mechlet glanced over the top of the trunk and spotted the Decepticon not far from their position "Coz you're faster than me an' you don't have wings for him ta grab an' its not nice when someone grabs your wings coz it hurts really bad …."

"Okay, okay I get it." The little silver femme said cutting the other youngling off before he launched fully into a very, very long sentence. Shimmer vented a deep sigh out of her intakes "what do you want me to do?"

Bluestreak brightened visibly, a look of surprise appeared upon his facial plates whilst his sensory panels twitched upwards and fluttered "I need you to keep him busy."

"And what do you plan on doin'? An' where is everyone?" The little silver femme asked.

"Dad an' father are close, they'll be here soon I can feel it." The little grey mechlet replied as he placed a hand upon his chest plates and reached through the bond, he could feel both his parents comforting and reassuring presences in his spark "and I have this." Bluestreak slipped his fingers under the derma plating near his wrist and pulled out a small flat circular device, Shimmer whirled in curiosity when her bright baby blue optics fell upon it "uncle 'Jack gave it to me, its like an invisible pocket where I can put everythin', but dad an' father don't know I have it." The little grey mechlet pressed the small button and laid the device flat in his palm as a black triangle appeared above it, Bluestreak slipped his hand inside, his glossa sticking out of his mouth as he rummaged around for the items he was looking for. Then a small triumphant noise escaped Bluestreak when he finally found them tucked away near the edge, he pulled the items out of sub-space and set them on the ground in front of them.

The little silver femme quirked a single optic ridge as she glanced at her cousin strangely when she saw a couple of bungy cords "Should I ask?"

"Uncle Sides asked me to keep them for future pranks and since father doesn't know about this yet..." The little grey mechlet replied as he twiddled with one of the ends of the cords "you won't tell them will you?"

"No Blue I promise." Shimmer replied, she simply shook her helm in amusement, boys of any age were simply immature and never grew out of it "uh Blue we better do somethin' quick, the Deceptifreak has found us." Bluestreak poked his helm over the top of the tree to see bright angry crimson optics glaring back at him.

"Uh run?" The little grey mechlet suggested, the little silver femme cocked her horned helm to the side in an imitation of a human rolling their eyes before she took off with Bluestreak not far behind her. That was once he had tucked the device back under his derma plating and grabbed the bungy cords.

"Ah ha that's where you two little fraggers have got too!" Skywarp exclaimed the moment he spotted the helms of the two younglings poking out from behind the tree trunk. Both of them squealed in alarm and scrambled out from behind the downed tree, once again the Raptor was left with the choice of which of the two Autobots to pursue, however it seemed one of them decided to make the choice for him when the little silver femme began shouting profanities at him. But Skywarp decided differently and set after the little grey mechlet who had just disappeared behind some large foliage and was making a beeline for a set of trees sat close together not far from his position. The Raptor noticed there was a change in the way the youngling was running like he was carrying something in his arms, Skywarp made a swipe for the little grey mechlet his clawed fingers just barely grazing the tip of a sensory panel. The youngling yelped in surprise and darted through a narrow space giving the black and purple Decepticon no choice but to go round them and losing the little grey mechlet in the thick undergrowth.

Skywarp cursed loudly and was half tempted to uncharacteristically stomp his foot in frustration, he was definitely going to tell Starscream to go shove it up his afterburner the next time he was assigned to chase down the Autobot youngling. After all he could quite clearly recall the last experience he had after being sent to capture the little grey mechlet who had been much younger at the time. The black and purple Raptor was half tempted to abandon the mission, but knew that his trine leader would never let him hear the end of it. That and the little silver femme had just thrown part of a coconut at him which left a nasty smear across his left shin armour, Skywarp cast a nasty glare in the youngling's direction although it didn't seem to scare the little silver femme at all. In fact now that it seemed she had his attention, the Raptor knew there was a very high chance that she would be reckless which could easily lead to her capture. So with his processor made up, Skywarp took off after the little silver femme instead, he had to admit as he ducked around a tree scuffing a few shoulder armour plates as he did so, that the two younglings had far too much energy to expend.

The Raptor growled lowly to himself when the youngling darted out of his way at the last possible second and slipped through the narrow gap between the trees, he collided with a couple of trres causing him to stumble backwards. The black and purple mech was so close to torching the place and forcing the two younglings out onto the beach, after all he was built for wide open spaces not tracking little pit fraggers through enclosed areas. Skywarp knew that if it had been one of the older Autobots, he would have gladly shot the slagger by now to slow him down but with the two younglings being that much more fragile, he couldn't which was only adding to his frustration. The Raptor lunged once again for the little silver femme only for one of his peds to snag on a bungy cord he hadn't seen stretched out between two trees, he cursed loudly as he toppled over before everything went black when the side of his helm struck something solid on the ground.

Shimmer glanced over her shoulder when she heard the Decepticon let loose a long string of profanities before there was a loud crash as the large black and purple mech crashed into the soil and undergrowth, the little silver femme stopped running and nearly collapsed upon the very spot she was stood upon as her small legs were now aching from exertion. Shimmer glanced up when she heard movement not far from her, however she managed to vent a sigh of relief when she noticed that it was only Bluestreak moving toward the Decepticon.

"Blue what are you doing?" The little silver femme hissed as she watched her cousin poke the large black and purple mech in the fore-helm, then he trotted off to collect the last couple of bungy cords he had deposited a few metres away before he came back.

"It worked." The little grey mechlet announced quite proudly "ha take that Sky-moron."

"Well duh." Shimmer muttered to herself as she dropped down onto her aft, thoroughly exhausted and quite happy to remain as far away as possible from the downed Decepticon "now what are ya doing?"

"Tying him up silly." Bluestreak replied as he dragged one of the Raptor's arms up onto his back before doing the same to the other one "don't want him to wake up an' start chasin' us again coz I'm really tired." The little grey mechlet tied the cord around Skywarp's wrists then he moved down towards the Raptor's peds.

Shimmer frowned at her cousin's words, how could he be tired? She had been the one doing all of the running around, not to mention she had been pulled off the floor by her scruff bar too. The little silver femme didn't think for one minute when she had been told by Jenny that they were visiting Diego Garcia, that she would be running from Decepticons; again. A small soft whimper escaped her as her shoulders slumped, all she wanted now was her Angel and to go back home. Her whimpers dissolved into sobs as she wrapped her arms around herself, although it wasn't long before she heard her cousin sit down beside her and wrap his arms around her slightly smaller frame.

"It's alright Shimmer, they're comin' ta find us, they'll be here soon." Bluestreak tried to offer his reassurance to his cousin. In fact no sooner had he said it, that the two younglings heard someone call their designations. Both Shimmer and Bluestreak perked up at the sound of familiar voices calling through the small forest before they glanced at one another, the little grey mechlet untangled himself from his cousin and pushed himself up onto his peds and immediately scanned his surroundings for his parents and caretakers.

"Blue! Shimmer!" He heard his carrier call out to him again, Bluestreak's sensory panels twitched upwards as they tried to pinpoint the direction in which his daddy's voice was coming from, however it was his optics that spotted the flash of silver followed more prominently by the red and gold paint jobs of his twin guardians and the distinct black and white of his father.

The little grey mechlet spun round, a large grin upon his facial plates as he addressed his cousin "See I told you that they were comin'." The little silver femme simply grumbled in return as she swiped away her tears and pushed herself up onto her peds "Dad!" Father! We're over here!" Bluestreak shouted to his carrier whilst jumping up and down on the spot and frantically waving his arms above his helm in order to get their attention. The little grey mechlet immediately saw a relieved look fall upon his parents facial plates at seeing both him and Shimmer unharmed, Bluestreak didn't wait another second as he rushed across to his creators and was swept up off the ground by his sire.

Jazz gestured for his niece to come over to him when he noticed the crestfallen look upon her face, the little silver femme slowly trudged over to him, but once she was in range the saboteur plucked her off the ground and settled her on his right hip.

"Is uncle 'Cade alright?" Bluestreak asked as he glanced over his father's left shoulder and past the magnificent door wing that partially obscured his view.

"He's fine Blue Ratchet's treating him for scuffs and scrapes at the moment, you'll see him back at the base." Prowl told his son as he adjusted his hold on the little grey mechlet.

"Dad, father I brought down Skywarp on my own again." The little grey mechlet proudly announced.

Shimmer glanced around Jazz and gave her cousin a glare "Hey I helped too remember!"

Bluestreak gave the little silver femme a sheepish look "Shimmer helped too, but it was my idea, well the knockin' himself out part wasn't but we still got 'im down an' tied him up."

The tactician chuckled in amusement "I had noticed your accomplishment, well done the pair of you."

The saboteur couldn't help but snigger at that "One day Starscream will learn ta remember not ta mess with the creation of our resident chief tactician."

"I do believe Blue's mischievousness comes from you however." The Dodge Charger told his bonded as he flicked his door-wings "although I believe the twins have also imprinted upon our son more than we would like." The black and white turned slightly as he regarded the two front-liners, both of whom were stood beside the downed frame of Skywarp.

"Have no idea what you're talkin' about Prowl." Sideswipe remarked as he happily nudged the black and purple flier with the tip of his left ped.

"Oh really, then you may not have noticed that those bungy cords are the exact same ones I confiscated over a week ago after the prank you pulled on Red Alert." Prowl told him, a stern look now settled upon his facial plates. He noticed the minute stiffening of his son's frame, not too mention the small sheepish look making its way onto his face "and I'm curious as to how they managed to end up in the servos of my youngling."

The red Lamborghini attempted to look as innocent as possible "Funny you should ask that."

"Sideswipe." The tactician rumbled in warning.

The red front-liner threw up his hands in defeat "Okay, okay, Blue helped us get them back since I knew you wouldn't willingly give them back ..." Sideswipe trailed off when he noticed that the little grey mechlet's mouth plates had dropped open in shock, after all Bluestreak had been hoping his father would never find out about that at all and knew a possible lecture about borrowing things without permission was heading his way the moment they got back to base.

"However there is a inconsistency." The Dodge Charger pointed out as he contacted a retrieval team to head out to their position and pick up the unconscious Raptor "neither the twins nor Blue know the access codes to my lock ups." The black and white cast his spark-mate a sideways glance as he said that, he noticed immediately how Jazz refused to meet his gaze and tried to appear as innocent as he possibly could "Jazz."

Shimmer began sniggering the second she saw the silver mech flinch "Uncle Jazz has been naughty."

A small chuckle escaped the saboteur "Fer once I'm actually flailin' fer an excuse ta get out of trouble."

"Well frag me dead that's the first time I've ever heard Jazz stumble for an excuse to get himself out of trouble." Came Ironhide's voice as the weapons specialist and Major Lennox's team made their way over, the soldiers circling the downed Decepticon with their weapons at the ready "and Blue, you been tormentin' the 'cons again?"

Bluestreak grinned at the black mech "Shimmer helped too!" The little grey mechlet glanced around his sire to where his cousin was perched, the little silver femme shared his gaze and the two of them air high fived one another. Although it wasn't long before Shimmer tucked her finned helm into her uncle's neck and began powering down for recharge, the day's activities finally catching up with her.

"Well that's one down." The saboteur said as he glanced down at the little silver femme snuggled into his frame.

"And another one follows." Prowl replied, his cobalt blue optics falling upon the now slumbering form of his son.

"Well you gotta give it to the pair of them, they certainly gave Skywarp a run for his credits so they deserve a nap." Ironhide told the bonded pair as he glanced from one slumbering youngling to the other.

"They certainly do, but we gotta get Shimmer back ta th' base, no doubt Jenny's been tearin' her hair out wonderin' where her younglin' is." The Solstice said as he trailed the tips of his clawed fingertips down and over the top of the little silver femme's helm.

"You two go ahead, we've got slag for brains over there." The weapons specialist gestured to Skywarp with a small flick of his helm.

Both Prowl and Jazz nodded before they headed back to the base, they passed numerous human soldiers returning from the cove where Starscream had decided to pick a fight. They always knew that if the Decepticon aerial commander was out on his own with his trine, it usually meant that he had become tired of being subjected to Megatron's gloating or bouts of sadism he felt he needed to inflict upon his troops. It was clear that Starscream simply needed to burn off some frustration, and what better way to do it then take it out on any unsuspecting Autobots or in this case an ex-Decepticon. Of course Starscream would have used the opportunity to also earn a few extra points by trying to capture Bluestreak, although now the silver Raptor would return to base with tell-tale signs of a scuffle upon his armoured plating, a trine-mate who had his aft kicked royally and another one taken prisoner which without a doubt would earn him an aft kicking of his own. Lucky enough both Shimmer and Bluestreak had been quick and cunning enough to avoid falling victim to the aerial commander's plan to plant himself on Megatron's 'not to shoot on sight list'.

The bonded pair finally reached the entrance of the base and were met with a near frantic human as Jenny rushed toward them, however her panic began to diminish and relief replaced it when she saw Shimmer snuggled against Jazz.

"Is she alright?" The teenager inquired as she glanced up and tried to find any kind of damage upon her charge. She breathed a sigh of relief when all she saw was dirt upon Shimmer's derma plating.

"She's fine Jen, just a little tuckered out an' a lil dirty is all." Jazz reassured her "gonna let the pair of them recharge fer now."

Jenny nodded and followed the second and third in commands as they made their way through the base and to Prowl's office, the black and white mech keyed in the code to unlock the door then stepped inside once they slid open. Both the saboteur and the tactician gently deposited their respective loads upon the small couch situated against the wall, Jenny watched as the two Cybertronians arranged the two younglings so they curled into one another before they stepped back. The Dodge Charger reached into his sub-space and happily handed his spark-mate a bottle of cleaning fluid and a couple of clean clothes, the Solstice simply cocked his finned helm to the side in an imitation of a human rolling their eyes and took the items from his bonded. A startled squeak escaped Jenny when she was suddenly scooped up from the floor and gently deposited her on the couch next to the helms of the slumbering younglings, the teenager gave Prowl an appreciative smile before the tactician made his way over to his desk.

Jenny settled to down to watch Jazz clean both the little grey mechlet and the little silver femme meticulously and carefully, she had completely panicked to the point where she had nearly hyperventilated after hearing the alarm sound throughout the base. She knew that Shimmer was out of the base and under the watchful optics of an Autobot, although she soon learned that the mech had been in fact a Decepticon once, something she knew that wouldn't sit well with her charge since she understood that Shimmer didn't have a very good past experience after much of her family had been murdered by them. The teenager had fretted for news in regards to Shimmer's well-being, although she had been concerned about Bluestreak too since there was no way that one mech could protect two younglings from three Decepticons. However when news finally came through that her charge was safe and well, she nearly collapsed into an undignified heap on the floor before picking herself up and rushing to the entrance of the base where she met both Prowl and Jazz.

A small chuckle escaped Jenny when she heard Shimmer grumble in protest about being moved just so the saboteur could wipe away a bit of dirt upon the underside of the little silver femme's right arm, she was glad that nothing had befallen her charge and knew that numerous trips would have to be made to Diego Garcia in the future so the two younglings could interact and Shimmer could spend time with what was left of her family.

* * *

_**A/N:** *A nickname Shimmer calls Jenny due to the angel like wings protruding from her back, for more information refer to sounddrive's fic 'silver wings'. _


	30. Of Younglings and Decepticon Leaders

_**Title**: Of Younglings and Decepticon leaders_

_**Rating**: K+_

_**Universe: **G1Verse_

_**Characters**:Bluestreak, Megatron and ensemble_

_**Warnings**:slight humour, use of profanities, slight child endangerment_

_**Disclaimer**:Not mine, I just like to toy with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition_

_**Summary**: Megatron learns that the offspring of a tactician and a saboteur should never be trifled with_

_A request for **queensquider**, hope you enjoy hun! I am slowly making my way through the requests given to me, so just bare with me._

_'Blah' – thoughts_

_::Blah:: - Radio Communication_

There were times when Megatron felt immensely pleased with himself, particularly when one of his many devious plans against the Autobots was successful. However he felt this time he was left questioning his own success and perhaps his own sanity as his crimson optics fell upon the small babbling bundle of grey parts sat but a few feet from him on the deck plates. The Decepticon leader wasn't quite sure what was more annoying; the Autobot youngling constantly chatting without so much as taking a breath (not that they needed to of course), or the little grey mechlet sitting with his arms folded across his chest plates with a mix of a scowl and a glare upon his young facial plates. Megatron had to admit the youngling certainly had more ball bearings then some of the mechs under his command, but then again he had seen how defiant both the Autobot's second and third in commands could be, so there was no doubt that same defiant streak had been passed on down to their offspring. His irritating second in command had found the little grey mechlet's antics particularly entertaining to watch and to remark on, that was until the Decepticon leader had sent the glitch scurrying back to his lab after growling several murderous threats at the seeker.

Megatron had even tried to assign one of Soundwave's cassettes youngling sitting duty just so he could escape the young Autobot's somewhat unnerving glare, however the youngling had simply thrown the closest thing he could find at Ravage nearly knocking him off-line with his incredible aim. The annoying twins Rumble and Frenzy were no use to him as not only were they unreliable and irresponsible, but the little grey mechlet had taken one look at them and had nearly damaged his audio circuits with his high pitched screaming. And Laserbeak? Well the useless tin can turkey had conveniently made itself unavailable in fear that it would share the same fate as its feline brother. The Decepticon leader grumbled to himself under his breath as he slouched further in his chair, helm held in one hand whilst tapping his fingers against his cheek plating. His crimson optics flickered to the little grey mechlet sat on the deck plating now glaring at him with all the defiance he could muster from his small frame.

"Why are you so mean to Optimus Prime and the others?" The Autobot youngling asked suddenly, completely catching Megatron off guard. The Decepticon leader glanced at the little grey mechlet, his deep crimson optics falling upon the small frame. The silver mech took note of how the youngling didn't even flinch yet alone look scared when his harsh gaze fell upon the mechlet.

"Because I am." Megatron grumbled a response as he tapped his clawed fingers upon the arms of his chair; a clear indication of his boredom, annoyance and frustration.

The young Autobot flicked his sensory panels whilst a frown worked its way onto his facial plates "That's not an answer."

"Yes it is."

"Not its not." The youngling bravely argued back.

A low growl worked its way out of the Decepticon leader's vocaliser "Yes it is."

The little grey mechlet wasn't prepared to back down and stood up before he stomped one foot on the deck plating, his little sensory panels becoming rigid and flaring up into a sharp 'V' "No its not!"

Megatron had to admit he was surprised at the youngling's defiance and compelling need to argue with him since none of his troops (with the exception of Starscream) would dare question his orders let alone argue with him. Not that the Decepticon leader would let them of course as he would gladly remind them of exactly who was in charge, like he had to do when his irritating 2IC decided to step out of line. However it was particularly amusing to see such bravado coming from a youngling especially since the little grey mechlet obviously hadn't realised just how much danger he was really in, after all it would only take several seconds to power up his fusion cannon and blow the little fragger to pieces. Megatron knew the Autobot youngling would make a fine addition to his crew as the little grey mechlet had an exceptional aim which would make him a brilliant sharp shooter once his training was over, although he knew that he would have to strip away all of that Autobot compassion that his creators had instilled in him. First however he had to overcome the disobedience being exhibited by the young Autobot, and knew the only way he could do that was through psychological blackmail. The Decepticon leader straightened himself in his chair and fixed a firm glare on the little grey mechlet, although it was quickly returned by the youngling who hadn't even moved a micro-inch from where he was stood.

"Sit." Megatron growled at the little grey mechlet.

Bluestreak's sensory panels twitched upon his back and a small smirk appeared upon his lip components "No."

The Decepticon leader had to bite back the noise of frustration that wanted to escape him, although he was beginning to feel the need to seriously maul something. However there was a very small part of him which found the youngling's antics to be amusing "Sit, now."

Bluestreak simply folded his arms across his chest plates "No, make me."

A low growl did escape Megatron this time as he tightened his grip upon the arms of his chair, he silently prayed to Unicron that Starscream would pull one of his usual antics just so he could slag the seeker, and show the youngling just exactly what happened to those that disobeyed him "You do realise that I am not one to be trifled with?"

"Dad says you're just a bully who has nuthin' better ta do with his time than be mean to others." Bluestreak retorted as he watched the Decepticon leader push himself out of his seat and stalk towards him. Inside the little grey mechlet was terrified out of his wits and he couldn't stop the small tremble that made its way through his little frame, nor his sensory panels from twitching.

"And he's right, its the only way to keep little fraggers like you in line." Megatron told him as he leaned in close to the youngling, taking note of how the little grey mechlet lost some of his bravado and shrunk back slightly.

"Well you're not doin' a very good job, Screamer keeps scheming behind your back." The youngling happily pointed out "so ya haven't really got every one in line Mega-jerk."

_'Observant.' _Megatron thought to himself as he straightened, his crimson gaze never leaving the youngling. The Decepticon leader knew there was a high likely chance that the little grey mechlet could also be groomed into a fine special ops agent with his talent for being able to watch his surroundings closely, however he would have to wheedle out the non-incessant talking habit first.

_::Lord Megatron, presence required on bridge.:: _Came the monotone voice of the communications specialist Soundwave.

The Decepticon tyrant grumbled something unintelligibly under his breath, no doubt Starscream was up to his usual tricks again of trying to proclaim himself leader of the Decepticons. Megatron debated whether to take the Autobot youngling with him and use the little grey mechlet to subdue the seeker with since he knew the two bit glitch had a soft sot for the bitlet. But then again he really didn't want the youngling following him around as if he were a lost turbo-sheep, so his only option was to leave him here with no guard. He pondered briefly about how much damage a mere child could do in the amount of time (ten Earth minutes tops if he was lucky enough to send his defiant Aerial Commander scurrying back to his lab with the mere thought of being shot by his leader's fusion cannon) he would be away, he grimaced at the different possible scenarios that popped up in his processor but he quickly pushed them all aside.

"You stay here." Megatron instructed the youngling as he pointed a clawed index finger at him, he received a nasty glare in return but he simply ignored it as he turned fully about and strode out of his office, making sure to lock the door so the young Autobot couldn't escape on his way out.

Bluestreak watched the large menacing grey mech stalk out of the room before the youngling let out a shaky sigh of relief, he really didn't like the Decepticon leader in the slightest as he was big, mean and downright scary looking. However he had been taught by his parents never to allow any bot (or con in this case) to bully him in anyway, so he had refused to do anything that Megatron ordered him to do. The little grey mechlet dropped to sit down on the cold deck plating, his small sensory panels drooping so they were almost flat against his back. He couldn't understand why the Decepticons were always so determined in trying to capture him as he had never done anything wrong (well except torment Skywarp when the glitch head tried to catch him), he had asked his parents for the reason why and they had simply told him it was because he was so special, and the bad guys didn't like the fact they had someone special on their side.

Bluestreak vented a deep sigh, he was really missing both his daddy and his father, not too mention his twin guardians and his numerous and somewhat entertaining caretakers. A shaky sigh escaped his intakes moments later as he glanced around the large room taking note of how dark it seemed compared to the brightly lit ones on board the Ark, the youngling briefly pondered whether his parents were working their butts off to come up with a plan to rescue him, but he knew they would be especially after the way they had reacted the last time he had gotten lost in the lower levels of the crashed spaceship they called home. His carrier had almost been hysterical when the search team had found him, the youngling remembered being continuously checked over for any scrapes, dents or any traces of nasty fluids he might have accidentally come into contact with. His father on the servo had decided to go and hunt down the individual who was supposed to have been looking after him, he could remember quite clearly how scary looking his sire had been when he had stalked out of the room. The look his father had given his twin guardians when he had returned with the mechs he was after not far behind him, not forgetting the telling off they received afterwards made sure that not only them but his other caretakers were extra vigilant when they were watching over him. The little grey mechlet briefly pondered whether his father could scare the poopies out of Megabum and his cronies with his really serious expression that he usually kept for when he told off the naughty bots, and of course him.

Bluestreak vented a deep sigh of boredom as he glanced around the room for anything to preoccupy himself with, it was pretty plain and boring with hardly anything to do at all, well except maybe the stack of data-pads sitting precariously on the edge of the desk. The youngling pushed himself up from the floor and made his way round the large desk, he ignored the numerous dents, scratches and the disproportioned leg (although he was somewhat curious as to how they might of got there). That aside, the little grey mechlet pulled the chair slightly away from the desk and clambered up onto it, Bluestreak happily stepped up onto the table (something that was strictly forbidden back at him, but completely alright in his books at this moment in time). His peds scuffed the polished surface as he made his way over before he plonked his aft on the cold metal surface, he flicked his sensory panels as he reached across and plucked the pile of data-pads up off the desk, a couple wobbled on the top of the unstable pile before they fell to the floor with a loud clatter. The youngling simply shrugged his shoulders as he set the others down on the desk, the little grey mechlet tapped his chin with his index and middle fingers of his right hand as he pondered what to do with them, then he suddenly remembered something his uncle Smokescreen had taught him once with a stack of playing cards.

Bluestreak picked the first two off the pile and stood them up a few inches apart then tilted them at an angle so the tops of them were touching one another, the youngling slowly withdrew his hands waiting to see if either one of them would topple over. But when the pair of them remained standing, the little grey mechlet picked up the next two and set them down beside the other ones in the exact same way. He did it one more time before he picked up a single one and placed it on top of the first two triangles like a bridge, then he did it a second time before building a final triangle with two of the three spare data-pads left. Bluestreak sat back and admired his handiwork with a disinterested air, he turned his attention to the last pad on the metal surface and picked it up. The youngling felt along the bottom of it for the small hidden slot where the stylus was kept, he found it relatively quickly and pulled it out then he found the switch on button and depressed it.

The screen flickered to life and it opened up on an unfinished report, using the stylus the youngling minimised the page although he couldn't resist changing several words (some that were just pointless whilst the others were swear words he had heard leave his caretakers vocalisers, and would most likely meet the disapproval of his parents, but they weren't currently here to stop him) in the document first. Once that task was done, the little grey mechlet accessed the pad's program catalogue and found much to his surprise that the human card game Solitaire was listed in the menu, the same game his father had tried to ban from the Ark's computers because bots weren't working when they should be. Bluestreak tapped the drop down menu on the game and began changing the settings so he could play a few games and possibly beat the slagtard's score. He moved the cards accordingly until either his game were finished or there were no more moves, he made a small noise of triumph when his score registered being much better than the Decepticon leader's. Now however he was thoroughly bored so he began drumming his fingertips on the desk's surface before he decided to poke the stack of data-pads, they wobbled from the not so gentle touch then clattered onto the surface in an undignified heap whilst a couple took the plummet to the floor.

The youngling flinched slightly at the noise since his sensory panels had a nasty habit of making noises seem louder than they were. Once his audios had stopped hurting and his sensory panels no longer twitched, the little grey mechlet stepped off the desk and into the chair, he turned around and plonked his little grey aft down on the cold leather like material. He wiggled his backside around to find a comfortable spot, only to find that the hard leather like material refused to shift even a little bit under his bottom. Bluestreak grumbled under his breath, it was nowhere as comfy as his father's or his daddy's, but it was either that or the floor and the youngling wasn't all that enthusiastic about getting a sore backside. The little grey mechlet sat back against the back rest, splaying his sensory panels out so he didn't crush them beneath his weight, he slouched slightly and folded his arms across his chest plates. He vented a heavy sigh as he sat there before he casually glanced over the side of the large chair, his gaze falling upon the set of integrated drawers in the desk. Bluestreak slipped off the chair and crouched next to the drawers, he attempted to pry open the top two drawers however they were locked and he didn't have his uncle Sideswipe around to help him get into them. Surprisingly the bottom drawer opened and the youngling peered inside to get a good look at its contents, there were many items he had never seen before nor knew the names of, but there was one item he was particularly familiar with; a marker pen. A grin made its way onto the little grey mechlet's facial plates as he uncapped the pen and pushed himself up to his full height, Bluestreak strode over to one of the plain grey walls and stood for a few brief moments pondering what to draw. Then the youngling couldn't help but snigger to himself as a few ideas popped into his helm before he began drawing the first few lines upon the cold metal wall, within a few seconds those lines turned into stick figure drawings of Autobots kicking Decepticon butts plus a few more imaginative sketchings.

The little grey mechlet managed to cover a few good metres of the wall, well as high as he could possibly reach anyway before he stood back and admired his artwork. He could easily remember the last time he had drawn on a wall, both of his parents had nearly blown a gasket when they had seen it littering one of the walls in their quarters, but they had simply told him it was naughty and ensured that he had plenty of paper to draw on. Although that never really had stopped him from drawing on his guardians (Sunstreaker was none too pleased about finding numerous small pictures or finger prints on his finish), or his caretakers. Bluestreak allowed the marker to slip from his fingers and drop to the floor with a clatter, normally he was not one to be untidy but the youngling felt the need to irritate the stupid slag head Megatron as much as he possibly could. The little grey mechlet then trotted over to where the data-pads had dropped onto the floor, he picked one of them up and carried it round to the chair where he clambered back up onto it and tried to settle into it as comfortably as he could. Bluestreak pulled up a program his uncle Sideswipe had shown him and wrote in the little box exactly what he wanted it to say to Megabum the next time he tried to do anything with it. Once that task was complete, the youngling set the pad on the desk then leant over the edge of the chair as far as he dared too before he began rummaging through the bottom drawer again. The little grey mechlet avoided any such item he had never seen before until finally his baby blue optics fell upon the bright pink and neon green post it notes, a whirl of approval escaped him although he couldn't fathom for the life of him why Megabum, the leader of the Decepticons had so many human items in his office? Unless, like back at home, they had pranksters here too. Bluestreak slipped off the chair and trotted over to where he had left the marker, he picked it up and began drawing a few random faces upon the separate sheets before sticking them in different places all across the room.

The youngling then admired his handiwork once he had finally run out of post it notes before making his way back to the chair again, the little grey mechlet clambered up onto it and sat back spreading his sensory panels out behind him so he didn't crush their delicate joints; something he knew he had to avoid especially since his daddy wasn't here to make the aches go away if he did lean back on them. Bluestreak further relaxed into the cold leather like chair by slouching a little in his seat and folded his arms across his chest plates, then he cast his baby blue gaze upon the doors waiting for Megabum to come back, and his possible opportunity to escape. The youngling didn't have to wait for long as he was jolted out of the pre-recharge haze that was beginning to settle in his processor when the keypad on the other side was viciously stabbed. The little grey mechlet didn't even bother to move from where he was sat when the doors slid open to permit the mech access, Bluestreak watched as Megatron stepped back into the room only to freeze completely in his tracks when his crimson gaze swept over the chaos that had been wrought in his absence. The youngling couldn't help but smirk at seeing the Decepticon leader so flabbergasted, although it soon melted into a look of defiance when those bright, angry crimson optics glared at him.

"You." Megatron hissed, his entire frame coiled tightly in anger at seeing his office defiled by youngling immaturity and lack of restraint and discipline. However what was really tying his circuits in a bunch was the fact that the little grey mechlet was sat slouching in his chair with his arms folded across his chest plates, trying to look like the clear picture of innocence whilst wearing a defiant expression upon his facial plates. Megatron had been subjected to a few pranks conjured up by his subordinates in their boredom, although many didn't dare to try and get their leader to 'lighten up' after Skywarp had been sentenced to cleaning out the plasma residue in the Nemesis' transwarp coils for two weeks. The black and purple seeker had re-emerged from the bowels of the ship after the fourteen days was up covered in grime, under fuelled and in serious need of recharge. The Decepticon leader had hoped it would teach the glitch to behave, but Skywarp had returned to pranking his favourite victim Starscream within a few days much to his disgruntlement. And here Megatron was being subjected to the same level of immaturity at the servos of an Autobot youngling.

"Get the frag out of my chair you two bit little glitch!" The Decepticon leader snarled, clawed hands clenching into fists.

Bluestreak simply flicked his sensory panels at the large grey mech "No."

A loud squeal of metal being crushed sounded throughout the entire room as Megatron tightened one of his fists, his anger was beginning to blossom into something far more dangerous which generally ended up with someone either being hurt, or something being destroyed "Remove yourself now, or I will do it for you."

The youngling seemed to contemplate his answer before he glanced back at the Decepticon leader who looked just about ready to blow a fuse "No."

That single defiant answer was enough to finally push Megatron into acting, slag using the youngling as a bargaining tool he was going to disassemble the little fragger and send him back to the Autobots in pieces. The Decepticon leader lunged for him across the desk, however being smaller and therefore quicker, the little grey mechlet leapt out of the chair just as Megatron crashed into it and was sent sprawling onto the floor in an ungraceful heap whilst Bluestreak made a bolt for the open doors.

The youngling paid no heed to the loud cursing as he tripped over his own peds in his haste to escape, the little grey mechlet didn't dare look back when he heard a clatter of commotion coming from Megatron's office as all he was focused on now was hiding until his parents came to rescue him. Bluestreak could feel his little fuel pump beating wildly in his chest particularly more so when the alert klaxon's sounded, the youngling skidded round the corner and squealed in alarm when he almost ran into an unsuspecting Blitzwing. The little grey mechlet danced out of the way of a tackle from the triple changer, after all Bluestreak refused to go back to Mega-jerk and his stuffy boring office.

The youngling was fully aware of the large purple and beige mech closing in on him from behind and knew he had to lose him somehow, although he couldn't see how he could when the Decepticons knew this place like the back of their servos and he didn't. Surprisingly enough Ravage came to his unprecedented rescue when the felinoid came bounding down the corridor, however since the little grey mechlet was somewhat of an expert at evasion, he neatly frog leaped the cassette. Bluestreak used as much of his weight as he possibly could in the jump, forcing Ravage to face plant straight into the floor and thus tripping up Blitzwing when the triple changer failed to notice the crumpled felinoid. Loud creative cursing met the youngling's audios but the little grey mechlet refused to look back as he continued running. Finally Bluestreak spotted a vent cover and rushed toward it, although he nearly ran into a more than surprised Skywarp in the process. The purple and black seeker barely had the chance to open his mouth plates before the youngling stopped in front of him and stomped on one of his peds, Skywarp howled in pain and began hopping around on his good foot giving the little grey mechlet the perfect opportunity to pry off the cover and slip into the vent.

Bluestreak crawled down the narrow crawl space until he reached a junction that would take him either left or right, the youngling plonked himself on his aft as he tried to calm his racing systems with deep intakes of air, although he ended up coughing when his movements disturbed the thick dust that had collected in the ventilation ducts. He knew he needed to stay in the vents and away from Megatron, but understood that the big nasty mech would order the scary looking one to send in the little freaky 'cons after him. The little grey mechlet nearly jumped out of his plating when his audio receptors detected the exceptionally angry voice of Megatron shouting at someone, he had no idea if it was Skywarp, Blitzwing or Ravage and quite frankly he didn't care either as he shifted onto his hands and knees and began crawling through the ventilation duct.

Swirls of dust rose up from the bottom of the ventilation duct and Bluestreak couldn't help but sneeze a few times as it tickled his nose, he didn't event think the Ark's vents were this dusty as he had crawled them a few times when playing 'hide and seek' with his guardians and caretakers. The youngling had no idea where he was going in the slightest, all he was concerned about was making sure that he stayed well out of Megatron's and the other Decepticons clutches. The little grey mechlet suddenly heard a shuffle behind him in the vent, Bluestreak threw a quick glance over his shoulder although he had trouble flicking his sensory panel out if the way as the trembling wing tip scraped the top of the chute. He easily remembered what had happened last Halloween when Buzzsaw had popped out of the vent during a blackout, the youngling hadn't been able to sleep in his own berth for several days after that, and he really didn't want to encounter any of those freaky little 'cons here in the vent. Bluestreak quickened his crawling pace, although in the process of doing so he failed to see the weakened metal plate in front of him. The youngling leant his weight on it and before he could react quick enough he was falling through the tear he had made, although luckily enough he landed upon a stack of crates.

The little grey mechlet flicked his sensory panels in irritation, he was hungry, tired and downright grumpy, he desperately wanted to be back on board the Ark in his parents arms and surrounded by his guardians and caretakers who would make sure that the bad guys stayed away. Bluestreak lowered himself slowly from one large crate to another, knowing that a fall could easily damage him from this height; and that was definitely something he wanted to avoid. The youngling whined in frustration as he tried to locate the next crate down with his peds, however it seemed he was going to have to find it the hard way and grimaced at the thought of it. The little grey mechlet vented a frustrated sigh out of his intakes before finally letting go, he dropped onto his peds but his legs wobbled dangerously beneath him then promptly collapsed out from under him and planted him none too gracefully on his aft.

"Frag! Stupid 'cons!" Bluestreak cursed loudly as he stiffly scrambled up onto his feet, the youngling glanced around the room to find himself surrounded by large crates that were stacked as high as Optimus Prime if not taller like the big mech Omega Supreme. The little grey mechlet's sensory panels flickered upwards when they detected the shuffling sounds coming from the vent above him, Bluestreak wasted no time in moving from the spot he had been standing on seconds ago to hiding behind one of the large crates. And just in the nick of time it seemed as Laserbeak popped out from the ventilation shaft and scanned the room, crimson optics meticulously sweeping across every inch in search of the missing Autobot youngling. The little grey mechlet shrunk back into the shadows trying to make sure that the scary cassette wouldn't spot him, however one of his peds nudged a scrap of metal that had been left lying round and easily sounded his position.

Laser beak's helm swivelled round in the direction of the noise, crimson optics instantly narrowing and zeroing in on the barely noticeable little grey frame hidden behind a storage container not far from its position. The turbo-hawk let loose a loud caw, no doubt to alert the others of the missing youngling's location.

Bluestreak was not in the least bit impressed by that as it now meant that the Decepticons knew exactly where to find him, the youngling growled in annoyance and stomped one of his peds at the unfairness of it all. The little grey mechlet pushed himself away from the crate he had been standing beside and took off running through the storage area, he was going to make sure it was virtually impossible for them to find him, not too mention he was going to put up a fight whilst doing it. Bluestreak scanned the immediate area around him with bright baby blue optics in order to make sure that the tin can bird brain wasn't following him, although his sensory panels told him quite clearly that he wasn't. The youngling found a pair of crates that had been stacked rather haphazardly on top of each other which provided an ideal hiding spot to seek refuge, the little grey mechlet easily squeezed through the gap and settled back against the wall with his sensory panels splayed out behind him so he didn't crush the delicate hinges. Bluestreak jumped when he heard loud voices and instantly shrank back against the wall, he knew he needed to remain quiet so they wouldn't be able to find him however he understood that if the Decepti-freaks had the same scanner thingies that his parents and the other Autobots did, then they would still be able to locate him. But for now he decided to stay quiet and see what would happen.

Megatron stalked into the storage area, his entire frame tense with unbridled anger and frustration. He wanted to thoroughly dismantle the Autobot brat for humiliating him and for simply causing so much trouble, heck even normal Autobot prisoners didn't cause this much ruckus after they had been captured "Find him." The Decepticon leader snarled as his crimson optics swept across the cluttered space, the youngling had to be here somewhere or he was going to have a few serious and choice words with his communications specialist. Megatron growled lowly to himself as he watched each of his few subordinates (the others had decided they would rather risk their leader's wrath than take on an eight Earth year old youngling who knew how to run circles around them) make their way through the storage area, checking every small nook and cranny as they went. The Decepticon leader's attention was drawn toward the left when he heard Blitzwing's sudden proclamation of "Ah ha there you are you little pip squeak." The large grey mech drifted over in that direction and watched bemusedly as the purple and beige triple changer attempted to reach into the narrow gap.

Suddenly Blitzwing hissed as he ripped his arm out from the gap, shaking the limb as if to relieve a hurt "Little fragger stepped on my fingers." The triple changer inspected the two digits to find them scuffed but otherwise okay, Blitzwing growled in the back of his throat and was just about to lunge forward when he was stopped by a single monotone voice from behind.

"Action: inadvisable, suggestion: cut off Autobot youngling's escape routes and remove crates on top to gain access." Soundwave suggested, Laserbeak had returned to him and was now currently perched upon his right shoulder strut. The triple changer glared at the communications specialist before glancing at his leader.

Megatron met the beige and purple mech's gaze "You heard him." He bellowed to his subordinates. There was a quick scramble of frames as they rushed to cover any and all exits whilst two of them poised themselves ready to remove the crates out of the way. The Decepticon leader couldn't help but smirk to himself, in a few seconds he would have hold of the very source that had humiliated and frustrated him to the point where he had wanted to mangle something. He was currently planning to either use the youngling as leverage to gain access to a rather large source of this planet's natural resources, or he could order Soundwave to erase and manipulate the youngling's processor to gain a new soldier, he was loathed to admit that the little grey mechlet would make an exceptional sharpshooter with his wicked aim "well what are you all waiting for?" Megatron snapped when he noticed the lack of movement from his troops, his sharp tone easily had the two Seekers moving into action in seconds and the pair of them slowly began lifting up the top crate. Everyone in the room watched and waited as they removed each of the storage containers in order to reach the miscreant hiding underneath, however it seemed the Autobot youngling simply wasn't going to wait around as he scrambled from his position and hastily shoved Starscream to the side with considerable force for his size. The tricoloured Seeker yelped in surprise and flailed as he lost his balance and toppled into the crate his trine-mates were currently shifting. The container was knocked out of their servos and crashed on top of the other ones whilst both Skywarp and Thundercracker, the pair of them knocked off balance, flailed and collapsed in an undignified heap near their trine leader.

Megatron immediately began berating the trine about their incompetence whilst Soundwave simply acted upon initiative and dispatched Ravage after the fleeing youngling. The felinoid pursued the little grey mechlet to another stack of crates and swiftly leapt up onto the first row. However just as the big black cat was about to snag the youngling's scuff bar, Bluestreak nailed the panther with a solid kick to the face as he tried to pull himself up onto a large metal box which effectively knocked Ravage out cold. Laserbeak, after seeing what had happened to the felinoid, refused under any circumstance to pursue the youngling and simply folded up into cassette mode before dropping in front of Soundwave's peds. Meanwhile Blitzwing was more than happy to pursue the young Autobot, although his methods were certainly more violent as he tossed aside crates as he chased after the little grey mechlet. Surprisingly though Bluestreak easily out manoeuvred him as he dashed from one side of the room to the other, the youngling could feel both his intakes and his legs burn from working too hard. The little grey mechlet threw himself into a forward dive and just in the nick of time as two of the Stunticons attempted to lunge for him, however instead he was subjected to their muffled _oofs_ and colourful curses as they collided with one another with loud and solid clangs.

Bluestreak wasted no time in running for another gap that was just visible up ahead, but before he could reach it a Decepticon snagged his scruff bar and hauled him up off the floor. The youngling struggled and kicked out viciously, surprisingly his foot made contact with Thundercracker's chest plates with a solid clang which not only left his foot sore but prompted the blue and silver Seeker to drop him. The youngling luckily enough landed upon his peds but that didn't stop them from wobbling beneath him before he shakily took off again, although not before avoiding Skywarp's flying tackle. The purple and black Seeker went crashing into several crates, scattering equipment, tools and supplies everywhere. Starscream was having no such luck either in his attempts to either slow down the youngling or capture him, the tricoloured Seeker powered his null rays down to their lowest settings fully intent upon taking the little runt's legs out from under him; but whether the youngling sensed the attack or just choose that time to duck, the shot easily struck Blitzwing in the aft plates prompting the triple changer to forget about his current quarry just so he could go and beat some sense into the tricoloured Seeker.

Megatron vented a frustrated sigh from his intakes and folded his arms across his chest plates, how could a single juvenile Autobot outwit and stay out of the clutches of his best Decepticon warriors? His crimson optics scanned the room for the youngling and he spotted him darting behind a crate and avoiding Thundercracker's attempt to snag him as the blue and silver flier slipped on something unidentifiable upon the floor ans dropped onto his aft with a solid clang. It was true what the humans said; if you want something doing, you were better off doing it yourself. The question was, how was he going to get the Autobot bitlet to come to him especially since the youngling was hell bent on making sure he was near impossible to catch?

The Decepticon leader turned to his communications specialist and was just about to open his mouth plates to ask for a suggestion when the blue and white mech beat him to it "Current tactics not working, suggestion; draw youngling out using persuasive tactics."

Megatron quirked a single optic ridge at that "Any suggestions?" In the background he could hear muffled curses and the crashing and smashing sounds as equipment and supplies were sent scattering in all directions, surprisingly amidst the clamour of noise a single voice was distinguishable above the rest as the little grey mechlet had now converted his capture into a game.

"Suggestion; convince Autobot youngling of intentions to return to creators." Soundwave replied.

The Decepticon leader frowned "I don't have any intentions to …" Then it dawned upon him, had the youngling truly frazzled his processor that much with his antics? "... ah I see, and you believe this will work?"

"Affirmative." The communications specialist responded, he could feel the first stirrings of Ravage returning to consciousness through the shared link and knew that his felinoid cassette was without a doubt going to be somewhat traumatised by this experience.

"Very well then." The large grey mechlet said as he turned to regard the room as a whole, scowling a little in disapproval at seeing so many of his warriors down and out for the count "youngling I have a proposition for you, show yourself and I will seriously consider returning you to your parents."

"I don't believe you." Bluestreak responded from where he was currently hiding, his baby blue optics constantly watching out for trouble."

"In fact right now my communications specialist is just about to go and contact the Autobots now." Megatron told him as he subtly gestured to Soundwave to move toward the entrance of the storage room, the blue and white mech made a brief show of doing so before stopping just inside the doorway. Silence greeted the Decepticon leader's audios and he knew that the youngling was probably trying to decide whether this was all a ploy to get him out into the open, finally after what seemed like an eternity the little grey mechlet stepped out from where he had been currently taking refuge and into the anarchy that surrounded him.

Bluestreak tiredly stepped out from behind the collapsed crate he had been using to hide behind, he really didn't believe Megatron would actually hold to his word and contact his parents like he just said, but he was really tired now from running away from all the other mean Decepticons a few of which were still lying upon the floor groaning about their various aches and pains. The youngling twitched his sensory panels at that and couldn't help the small triumphant smile that made its way onto his facial plates; that would teach them to mess with him. However in his moment of distraction, he neither saw nor heard the mech push himself from the floor and pounce until it was too late.

"Put me down slagtard!" Bluestreak yelled as he squirmed to get lose of the hold upon his scruff bar, he kicked in every direction hoping to land a hit upon the Decepticon currently mech handling him at that moment in time.

"All this fraggin' trouble for a youngling." Starscream grumbled to himself as he held the little grey mechlet away from him as far as possible, it was bad enough he had just managed to get away from the trouncing Blitzwing had decided to dish out on him (just because he shot him in the aft plates), that getting kicked by a youngling was the last thing he needed. The tricoloured Seeker was very much looking forward to traipsing back to his lab, locking the door and passing out for a few human Earth hours. Starscream more than happily handed the squirming youngling over to his leader before trudging his way over to the entrance of the storage room, his trine-mates not following far behind him.

Megatron watched the three Seekers trudge toward the doorway with a disinterested look before his attention returned to the still struggling youngling, a smirk pulled at his lip components as he regarded the little grey mechlet "For the trouble you've caused me, you better be worth some value …."

"Autobots!" Starscream shrieked from just outside of the storage room, immediately one of his wings was roughly grabbed by an overly protective parent and one of his knee joints kicked out from under him, the red, blue and white seeker glared up at the Autobot's head of special operations as Jazz clicked off the safety on his weapon and levelled it at his helm.

"Daddy! Father!" Bluestreak called out to his parents as he continued in his struggles to get loose from Megatron's grip.

"Hand him over Megatron." Prowl growled in warning as he thumbed the safety off his acid pellet rifle, his azure optics flashing dangerously when his gaze fell upon the struggling form of his son dangling from the Decepticon leader's grasp. The tactician quickly scanned his creation to make sure he was uninjured and almost sighed in relief at that fact, although Bluestreak was certainly going to need a bath when they got home as the youngling was covered in dust and thick grime.

"I suggest you do as he says Megatron." Optimus spoke up as he made his way to the front of the group, his gaze flicking between his second and third in commands before he glanced at Megatron who looked none too pleased about being told what to do. The Prime had seen what overly protective parents could do when their child was threatened, and Prowl and Jazz were certainly no exception to that.

"And pray tell why should I listen to you Prime?" The Decepticon leader sneered at his nemesis, although his crimson gaze never left the Autobot's chief tactical officer.

Optimus let a small chuckle escape his vocaliser "Oh Megatron you simply have no idea how much danger you're in right about now."

"Just give the slaggin' youngling back to them already, he's been nothing but trouble since you brought him here!" Starscream snarled at his leader, a small grimace pulling at his face plate as Jazz tightened his grip upon the wing he had grabbed hold of.

"Hey!" Bluestreak shouted in indignation as he glared at the red, blue and white seeker, he had decided to stop struggling a few moments ago after he resigned himself to the fact there was no way he was going to be put down any time soon.

Megatron began weighing his options as he held Prowl's cold calculating stare, he knew he could easily overpower the Autobot's 2IC however with the tactician's glitch of a bond-mate but a few feet from him, not too mention half the Autobot force including Optimus Prime himself also occupying the same room with all of their weapons drawn, suddenly diminished his odds of gaining the upper servo to near nothingness. It also didn't help the fact that much of his own force had been subdued by the enemy; something he was not all that pleased about.

"Alright Prime you win this one." Megatron growled as he lowered his arm slightly before depositing the youngling none too gently on the deck plating, a low growl reached his audio receptors as Prowl immediately conveyed to the Decepticon leader exactly what he thought about his son being mech handled like that. Bluestreak was also none too happy about the rough treatment either as he clicked in irritation, he managed to right himself before he stalked back to the large, mean grey mech and stomped upon one of his peds.

Megatron yelped in both pain and surprise, the youngling was far from heavy but the little glitch knew exactly where to target. Of course the Decepticon leader wasn't about to let the show of audacity slide however as he suddenly lunged forward to snag the little grey mechlet's scruff bar, but Bluestreak was well too protected as each Autobot inside the corridor pointed their weapons at Megatron, the distinctive whine of rifles charging permeating the air. The Decepticon leader took a few steps back away from the glowing muzzles of the plasma rifles pointing directly at him before he pointed a dark glare at the youngling taking refuge behind the Autobot's saboteur, however the little grey mechlet simply stuck his glossa out and flicked his sensory panels at him.

A low growl escaped Megatron and he clenched one clawed hand into a fist "Just take the little fragger and get the slag off my ship."

Optimus was suddenly grateful for the battle mask he wore as a grin threatened to tug at the corner of his lips, after all it wasn't very often that he managed to get the Decepticon leader to submit easily. A few of his own subordinates couldn't help but snicker at the situation "Alright Megatron, Autobots fall back."

The Decepticon leader watched as his aerial commander was planted on his aft none too gently by Prime's third in command before the black and white saboteur was sweeping the youngling off the deck plating and clutching him close to his frame, a dark and angry glare was directed in his direction before he turned to leave with the rest of his comrades who were filing out of the corridor.

"Well that was interesting." Starscream said as he picked himself up from the floor once the last Autobot had departed from the hallway, he brushed down ruffled armour plates before glancing at his leader "I take it you've learned your lesson that you shouldn't meddle with the creation of Prime's second and third in commands?"

A scowl creased Megatron's facial plates "Shut up Starscream." He growled as he felt his circuits sizzle over his humiliating defeat, the Decepticon leader could hear low murmurs in the background from his subordinates, no doubt criticising him for the lack of retaliation on his behalf. Well he had one way to deal with that kind of insubordinate behaviour "I want this mess cleaned up … now."

"What?" Starscream demanded as he glared at Megatron, his clawed hands curling into fists "you expect us to clear all of this …." The aerial commander trailed off when he saw the distinctive purple glow in the muzzle of Megatron's fusion cannon, immediately his self preservation protocols kicked in much to his annoyance, but he really didn't fancy having to take an unprecedented trip down to the repair bay "as you wish mighty Megatron." The seeker sneered before trudging off reluctantly although not without bellowing for his team-mates to join him. The Decepticon leader watched with a small triumphant smirk as his subordinates filed out of the corridor and into the storage area to begin cleaning up; that would teach the slaggers for questioning his command not too mention keep unruly fraggers in line for a few measly Earth hours. Satisfied that he would receive no more verbal complaints although he was sure Starscream would bend his audios backwards later however he would actually get the opportunity to shoot the seeker just for the hell of it, Megatron headed back to his office despite the fact he knew it had been 'soiled' by a youngling. The Decepticon leader had to admit he had seen a lot of spirit in that young Autobot and pondered briefly whether the youngling would unleash the same anarchy he had done here back at the Autobot's base, actually in fact it would certainly explain why some of them always looked that they were ready to fall into recharge, never mind fighting upon a battlefield.

Megatron keyed in the code for his office and the doors slid open, he stepped inside and surveyed the damage, it looked as though a small grenade had gone off inside the room as data-pads were strewn across the floor, sticky notes covered several surfaces in their irritating colourful hundreds, and then there was the graffiti upon one of the walls which the Decepticon leader found himself going over to investigate. He attempted to suppress a chuckle when he saw the stick figures that suspiciously looked like the seekers performing some sort of dance with each of them wearing a straw skirt and a flower arrangement around their necks. There were a few more sketches that comprised of Starscream and his trine, particularly one that stood out from the others was the Autobot front-liner twins cheering a victory over a heap of downed Seekers; a scene that was sometimes all too common upon the real battlefield. He had to scoff when he saw a picture of the glitch Optimus Prime standing over his unconscious frame with both of his arms held high in the air, the Autobot leader only won less than half of the skirmishes and knew he would have to rectify the youngling's perception of how the battles ended at some point in the near future.

Stepping away from the drawings marring the walls, Megatron made his way over to his desk picking up the stray data-pads from the floor. He despised youngling for several reasons, they were loud, obnoxious, messy and downright irritating. The Decepticon leader knew that this particular youngling had done all of those things just to generally be a nuisance and see how far he could push his captors; and Megatron had to admit the bitlet had done a pretty good job at his subordinates up the wrong way, and although he too had been frustrated by the little grey mechlet's antics he had certainly been amused by them too. The Decepticon leader vented a tired sigh out of his intakes as he plonked himself none too gracefully in his chair, he was half tempted to follow Starscream's advice about not meddling with the offspring of Prime's second and third in commands, but then again he had found it too amusing in watching his supposed proud and unbeatable warriors having circles run around them by a mere child. Megatron plucked an obnoxiously coloured post it note with an overly happy face on it off the edge of the desk before screwing it and tossing it across the room, there were still hundreds more scattered around the room and the Decepticon leader simply could not find it in himself to remove them.

So that left him with the data-pads and he certainly had no interest in them at all, but none the less he turned one of them on only for his optic ridges to rise skywards when a score board for the Earth card game greeted his optics "Little fragger." He muttered as he attempted to close down the game only to be cursed at by the data-pad in his possession. Megatron stared at it as if it had suddenly sprouted arms and legs before he tried again only to get the same result, a low growl escaped the Decepticon leader as even though the youngling wasn't there in presence his more than irritating quirk of trying his patience certainly was. Finally after a few more unsuccessful attempts of trying to get rid of the annoying reminder he had been beaten by a mere child on the stupid Earth game, Megatron uttered a few choice curses as he threw the pad onto the desk and picked up another. Somehow he knew the processor ache that was just beginning to niggle at the forefront of his helm was just about to get worse when his crimson gaze fell upon the open report, much of the first sentence was relatively intact however the further in he read, the more garbled the sentences became with nonsense and profanities added into them.

"Little glitch." The Decepticon leader growled as he dropped the pad onto the desk, now he would have to request another copy from Starscream and endure no doubt another lecture about his stupidity, but instead as he allowed his helm to drop onto the desk surface with a solid thunk, he decided he would rather not listen to the glitch head Seeker go on about how he was right and Megatron was wrong repeatedly. So he decided to remain where he was for now and begin entertaining himself with new plots for world domination that hopefully didn't involve irritating younglings.

* * *

**Meanwhile on board the Ark ...**

Bluestreak was more than enjoying a nice warm bath to rid of the grime, dust and scrapes upon his derma plating, his carrier was being a little more than rigourous about getting rid of any trace of dirt he had picked up from the Nemesis out of his joints and off his plating, but all he managed was a tired grumble and a lazy flick of his sensory panels to show his disgruntlement. Then once, and only once his daddy was certain he was absolutely clean he was plucked out of the tub and set upon his peds, he swayed slightly on his feet as exhaustion was beginning to creep into every inch of his frame. The youngling was more than happy to tuck his helm into the warm neck cables of his carrier as Jazz meticulously dried his back plates and the backs of his legs before the saboteur began focusing upon his front, the little grey mechlet simply warbled at his daddy as he couldn't find the energy to even be the least little bit helpful with helping his carrier in getting his small frame dry. After all he had spent the better half of the day riling up Megatron, and running away from his goon squad, so he had decided that he deserved a well earned recharge.

Jazz chuckled in amusement as he finished drying his son's plating before tossing the towel aside and leading his more than ready for recharge creation out into the main living space, the saboteur was just happy to finally have his son back after the long tenuous hours since his unexpected abduction that morning. Jazz had been beyond hysterical when he had returned to the Ark to find his creation missing, he knew his behaviour had been inexcusable and had apologised profusely to those he had targeted since he should have known that his bonded would do anything to get their child back from the Decepticons. Although seeing Prowl, his normally level headed spark-mate, rush in recklessly into a corridor full of Decepticons was certainly a sight he had never expected to see in the slightest. The saboteur plucked his stumbling creation up off the floor and clutched him close to his own frame, those several hours of not knowing what was happening to Bluestreak had been painstaking and was certainly an experience he did not want to go through again anytime soon. Jazz knew as he stepped into his berth-room, that the youngling's guardians and caretakers were going to be far more vigilant about making sure Bluestreak neither left their sight nor be an easy target for the Decepticons to snatch away from them ever again.

The saboteur glanced up when he heard the familiar footsteps of his bonded entering the room, although a small frown drew his optic ridges down behind his visor when he noticed the more than irritated look upon Prowl's facial plates.

"Somethin' tells me Sideswipe's been up ya his usual antics again." Jazz said as he glanced down at the slumbering youngling in his arms.

"That's because Unicron's spawn has been up to his usual tricks, although how he managed to sneak into my office and tamper with the reports on my desk within seconds of us returning home would be intriguing to find out." The tactician responded as he waved the pad in Jazz's direction.

"Sideswipe has his ways, besides what'd he do ta defile your sacred pads anyway?" The saboteur inquired in a light teasing tone.

"This." Prowl responded simply as he handed his spark-mate the data-pad in exchange for their recharging creation, although the movement from one parent to the other was enough to rouse the little grey mechlet from his slumber. However Bluestreak was simply too tired to protest and simply shifted his helm slightly so it was positioned more comfortably upon his father's left shoulder strut.

Jazz couldn't help the small smile that wanted to tug at the corners of his lip components as he watched his spark-mate clutch their son closer to his chassis whilst the youngling snuggled a little closer to get more comfortable, although the saboteur could quite clearly tell that Bluestreak was clearly attempting to fight off the lull of recharge and the smaller black and white suspected it had something to do with whatever Sideswipe had done. Jazz glanced away from his bonded and their creation and turned his attention to the pad in his hands, at first nothing appeared out of the ordinary as he began reading the report from Perceptor, however the further on he read the more the sentences became jumbled, lacked any sense, and were those really several Cybertronian profanities included in the passages? The saboteur's optic ridges rose upwards in surprise, but a snort of amusement quickly escaped him.

Prowl quirked a single optic ridge and flicked his door-wings in irritation "I'm glad you find it amusing."

"Love it can be easily fixed, why don't cha just close th' file an' ..." Jazz's words trailed off when he attempted to close the file only for a rather undignifying noise in form of a human fart to escape the pad. The sound startled both the saboteur and Bluestreak before the pair of them began sniggering much to the tactician's chargin.

"Please tell me ya got Sideswipe cleanin' th' washracks now with a human sized tooth brush?" Jazz inquired as he tried to quash the grin threatening to split his face plate in half.

A smirk appeared upon Prowl's lip components "Oh he'll be doing that and more since that pad isn't the only one he tampered with."

"Prowler ya evil." The saboteur responded as he glanced down at the pad he was holding "looks like ya gonna have ta hit th' reboot option an' ask Percy ta send ya his report again." The smaller black and white glanced up in time to see his spark-mate's shoulders sag and his door-wings droop, Jazz grumbled internally to himself when he saw Prowl's crestfallen expression; sometimes the red Lamborghini was a real pain in the skid-plate.

"Daddy you don't have to, I know how to fix it easily." Bluestreak told his carrier, the youngling held out one hand toward his daddy, a silent request for the data-pad.

The tactician quirked a single optic ridge as he watched his creation take the pad, settle it against his chest plates before setting to work on restoring the data-pad's original settings and profiles. Prowl glanced at Jazz who was now stood beside him, the pair of them held one anothers gaze for a few brief seconds as they both shared the same thought of just who had taught Bluestreak to change a pad's settings?

"Blue exactly how do ya know how ta do this?" The saboteur inquired as he watched the youngling flick through the drop down menus.

The little grey mechlet glanced at his carrier, a sheepish grin making its way onto his facial plates "Uncle Smokey an' uncle Sides taught me how to do it, its great if you really, really wanna annoy someone especially a nasty 'con like Mega-jerk, i changed all of his settin's on a couple of his pads." Bluestreak quickly launched into the pranks he had pulled off whilst he had been in Megatron's clutches whilst Prowl shared a brief glance with Jazz.

_{Remind me to lessen the time he spends with my brother and that red hellion you named as one of his guardians.}_ The tactician told his spark-mate over their shared link.

The saboteur allowed a small chuckle to escape him _{Spoil sport, ya only worried that one day you'll become a victim of one of ya son's pranks.}_

_{It's not me I'm concerned about, Ironhide on the other servo might reformat him, and I would rather Bluestreak remained in one piece._} Prowl replied.

_{Old 'Hide wouldn't harm him, he loves lil Blue too much, Ratch on th' other hand might give our younglin' back ta us in th' form of a human toaster.}_ Jazz said, then his parental instinct to protect his offspring suddenly kicked in _{actually scrap that we oughta nip Blue's 'creativity' in the bud asap.}_

The tactician flicked his door-wings_ {For once we're in agreement, although I may allow our son to inflict his 'creativity' upon the twins every once in a while.}_

The saboteur couldn't help the small laugh escape him_ {Prowler ya evil.}_

* * *

_**A/N:** Didn't mean for this one to take so long, but RL solidly stuck its foot in for a while, I'm hoping fingers crossed I'll get back to regular updates with these one shots_


	31. Of Young Mechs and Recollections

_**Title**: Of Young Mechs and Recollections_

_**Rating**: T_

_**Universe: **MovieVerse_

_**Characters**:Bluestreak, Barricade, Ironhide, Ratchet and ensemble_

_**Warnings**:slight humour, use of profanities, implications of violence_

_**Disclaimer**:Not mine, I just like to toy with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition, I do however own both Rhythm and Rhapsody_

_A request for **girl1213**, hope you enjoy hun! Sorry it took so long to be posted!_

_*writing in italics indicates flashbacks*_

The target was lined up perfectly within the sniper scope, his index finger curled steadily and with certainty around the trigger. He didn't even think to hesitate as he took the shot and the holographic generated target that looked like a Decepticon drone blinked out of existence, Bluestreak wasted no time as he threw himself into a sideways roll remembering to flick his door-wings in so they pressed against his back, then he rolled back up onto one knee once he had executed the manoeuvre as perfectly as he could before he taking his next shot. The young mech now twenty seven Earth years of age, crouched behind the holographic wall, his cobalt blue optics scanning his surroundings with intense scrutiny like he had been taught during the initial days of his sniper training all those years ago. The micro-fine sensor net that covered the entirety of his door-wings were already tingling from the harmonic frequency being emitted from the holographic layout, but now the pair of them swept up high upon his back and flared slightly when they registered a faint signal to his left. Using his door-wings as an extra pair of sensors had been a technique his father had taught him when he was younger, he could easily remember spending a couple of hours a day standing in a room and reciting to his sire what he could sense around him '_Remember to listen with your other senses'_ He recalled his sire telling him. Of course it had taken time to perfect the technique, but now there wasn't a day that went by that he didn't use it especially in his everyday life.

Bluestreak shook his helm slightly to clear his thoughts as he curled his index finger around the trigger once more on his weapon, and edged his way around the corner, slight trepidation was now beginning to suffuse his frame as the signal drew closer and became much stronger. The young mech knew he had to time it right to take down his next target, but the Cybertronian version of adrenaline which was being pumped around his frame was beginning to cloud his thought processes. He could feel his fuel pump beating wildly in his chest whilst his door-wings twitched with anxiety, he needed to beat this last target in order to clear this level; he had too.

"Come on Blue, you can do this, you know you can do this." He muttered quietly to himself as he tried to calm his racing systems, after all the higher his spark rate was, the more likely it was that his position would be discovered by the other. Another technique he had learned but from his carrier this time, although his dad had only decided to teach it to him once he had finally entered his teenage years since his carrier needed him at the age where his could understand the mechanics behind it. Although he knew he would never be as good as his carrier who enjoyed irritating his sire with his ability to disappear under the radar, it was a great technique to learn but it took a lot of skill to master it, and there were still days when he couldn't quite get it right. Suddenly his door-wings twitched upwards when the faint signal finally encroached upon his position, Bluestreak drew in deep calming intakes of air whilst his grip grew marginally tighter upon his rifle as he began counting backwards. Then finally the young mech spun up and round onto his peds, taking only a few seconds to line up the shot that would decide the outcome of this round.

However before he could fire the round, he stumbled backwards tripping over his own feet as a shot slammed into his chest plates, a cry of surprise made its way out of his vocaliser at the shock of being beaten again and the stinging sensation now emanating from his left chest plate. Lucky enough he managed to catch himself before he landed on his back which would painfully jar his door-wings, however he knew that the practise round was over when the holographic layout faded then disappeared completely before the lights returned to their normal luminosity revealing the large grey room and its patchwork holographic emitters.

Bluestreak grumbled to himself as he sub-spaced his weapon whilst his free hand gently rubbed his sore chest plate, he glanced up and his blue optics met deep crimson ones "I was so close that time."

A low dark chuckle escaped Barricade as he sub-spaced his own weapon then made his way over to the console sat toward the rear of the room, the shock trooper began tapping the keys so he could pull up the data and review the results of his nephew's practise round.

"So close yet so far." The Mustang told him as he compiled all the data onto a pad he had removed from his sub-space, he quickly flicked through the results highlighting a few areas as he did whilst he headed over to the two large doors and proceeded through them.

Bluestreak quickly pursued his uncle and easily fell into step with him "You still haven't told me if I did well or what areas I need to improve upon 'coz I wanna correct those mistakes before I go up against father and dad ..." The young mech paused briefly in both words and movements, a frown worked its way onto his facial plates before he continued forward again "... although dad like to cheat by usin' that disappearin' act he likes so much which really ticks off father ..."

Barricade slowed in his stride, a small sigh escaping him "Blue."

A sheepish expression worked its way onto Bluestreak's facial plates before the young mech gave his uncle an apologetic look "Sorry, sorry I know I'm doing it again, I don't mean too but I get so carried away and I can't help it and I'm doing it again aren't I, sorry."

The shock trooper continued walking "You do get a lil carried away, just like Jazz does."

Bluestreak jogged to catch his uncle and fell into step with him again "Not according to Prowl I don't, he says you have a tendency to yabber when you get carried away about a topic you like, even old 'Hide was surprised by how talkative you can be."

The Mustang quirked an optic ridge at his nephew's comment "Oh really?"

"Yea Jazz compared it to something about verbal communication and a nasty human infliction." The grey mech replied, looking slightly confused as he tried to recall the term his carrier had used.

"Verbal diarrhoea by some chance?" The black and white mech offered as he began flicking through the pad's contents again.

"That was it." Bluestreak exclaimed, his mood immediately changing "but you gotta admit that it sounds pretty disgusting and whoever came up with that expression is just plain nasty, although saying that the humans have some grotty habits. You should hear Sunny rant on some days when he's been assigned to a unit for a couple of days ..."

"Blue." Barricade rumbled as he glanced up from the pad to give the younger mech a light glare.

"Sorry." Bluestreak apologised, his door-wings slumping upon his back although he fidgeted slightly under the intensity of his uncle's glare "I just wanna know how I did so I can shut Rhythm up, little gloating fragger."

The shock trooper vented a deep sigh and cocked his helm to the side in an imitation of a human rolling their eyes "I thought you would have kicked his aft by now, he's only your little brother." The young mech simply gave him a blank look, conveying in that few seconds exactly what he thought of that idea. After all the two brothers rarely ever got into fights, Rhapsody on the other hand liked to throw her weight around, but the Mustang figured that was mainly due to the fact she had two brothers to compete with "and you did fine, considerably well, better than that old fragger Ironhide but you're still a few steps behind your parents."

"Oh." Bluestreak uttered with slight disappointment colouring the tone of voice, his door-wings wilted even further so they were almost flat against his back.

"Youngling you still have time to improve, remember that." The black and white mech told his nephew "for now, just brag to your brother and to that weapons specialist how much better you are at the practise round than they are."

A smile graced the young mech's lip components and his door-wings twitched upwards "I can, can't I?" A low chuckle escaped his uncle, however a frown quickly replaced the grin again "you still haven't told me what I need to improve upon so I can at least beat you once too."

"And I will tell you once I've finished going over the results you glitch." Barricade told his nephew with a slight impatient note in the tone of his voice.

Bluestreak threw his hands up in surrender, although a small cheeky grin began making its way onto his lip components "You sir are playin' a dangerous game, keeping this raw mech-li-ness contained, there will be consequences!"

The shock trooper gave the young mech a deadpan look, although a snort of amusement escaped him "I'll take my chances." Barricade noticed the way his nephew bit his bottom lip component to stop the snort of amusement escaping him "can we at least get to the rec. room before I'm subjected to further movie quotes?"

"Sure uncle 'Cade." The young mech replied, his voice full of mirth.

The shock trooper cocked his helm to the side and grumbled lowly in Cybertronian as he began making his way down toward the Ark's rec. room. He was fully aware that Bluestreak was wearing a grin that could easily light up Cybertron upon his lip components when he spared his nephew a glance, he tried to ignore him as they walked through the inter-connecting corridors, but it slowly began to grate on him just that little bit.

"What?" Barricade snapped, although there was no harshness in the tone of his voice.

"Never thought you'd remember that line from that movie." Bluestreak replied still grinning from audio to audio.

The shock trooper scowled at the younger mech "You practically wore out that DVD and insisted that it be shown at every movie night, then there was that phase you went through when you insisted that those slaggin' nature enthusiasts go looking for dragons because you believed that they existed."

"I was nine then, and you have to admit I had one of the most wildest imaginations going so I couldn't help but want to believe that dragons were real." Bluestreak replied as he fell into step with his uncle again.

"Don't remind me." Barricade grumbled.

"Although you have to admit Rhapsody's obsession that the sky was pink when she was four was a lot worse than mine, I think the majority of the base agreed with her just so they didn't have to see her throw a tantrum and bring father's wrath down upon them." The younger gunner pointed out as he twitched his door-wings, a subtle ache in the joints had just begun to make itself known and Bluestreak knew it was from the excessive use of the appendages during the training session.

"Your sister had a glitch in her optical relays so at least she had a reason for her obsession, you on the other servo were just glitched, I kept hoping someone might drop you on your helm to correct the problem." Barricade told him, a small smirk making its way onto his lip components.

The young grey mech visibly pouted "That's mean."

A small snigger made its way out of the shock trooper as he finally stepped into the recreation room, his crimson optics spotted several humans most of them engineers with Wheeljack huddled together with large blue sheets and a couple of data-pads in front of them. Barricade suspected that the group were without a doubt looking over some new schematics for a prototype of some sort that was very likely to blow up in its initial stages of production and testing, the shock trooper had learnt to stay well away from the science department until the finished project had been successfully field tested. The shock trooper glanced around the rec. room to find the only other occupants were Ironhide and Ratchet, both of whom were sat right at the back of the room. The black and white mech could see the CMO closely watching the team of engineers, no doubt pondering how many pieces he and his medical staff were going to be picking up later. Barricade noticed Bluestreak heading over to the two old-timers whilst he went and grabbed a couple cubes of energon, he knew his nephew wanted to go and gloat to the weapons specialist and no doubt tell him that all those years of honing his skills were finally paying off. The shock trooper made his way over to the table where the two Autobot veterans had taken up residence and placed the spare cube of energon on the surface in front of his nephew, although it went unnoticed as Bluestreak continued talking about how his training session went. The black and white mech sat himself down at a table next to the one his allies and family were sat at, segregating himself from them like he normally did and had a habit of doing regardless of how many times he had been told that he was now one of them.

"I was hoping he would grow out of this habit of talking .. well literally a blue streak, but it seems that coding is deeply ingrained in his CNA." Ratchet said as he listened with half an audio to what the young mech was talking about to one of his many mentors.

Barricade snorted into his cube of energon as he took a sip of the pink fluid "Our sire had a sister who was an incessant talker, we use to call her chatter box." The shock trooper spared the CMO a glance, he noticed the surprised look upon the chartreuse mech's facial plates; after all it was rare that Barricade ever spoke of his family "Smokescreen and Prowl always use to make themselves scarce whenever she visited Praxus, leaving me to listen to her endless prattle the slaggers."

A small chuckle escaped the CMO "Seems like that unfortunate string of coding skipped a generation and re-emerged in your brother's first offspring."

"So it seems." The black and white mech murmured in response before he took another sip from his cube, although he almost choked on it when he overheard something Bluestreak mention to Ironhide. Barricade gave the weapons specialist a sidelong glance and noticed the primarily black mech was directing a hard stare in his direction.

"Is that right? 'Cade thinks he's better than me?" Ironhide inquired with a single optic ridge raised.

The shock trooper pointed a light glare at his nephew which had Bluestreak cringing slightly "I never said that, but the little slagger certainly is but he still needs a few glitches straightening out."

A curious look appeared upon the weapons specialist's facial plates "Like what?"

Barricade noticed a somewhat annoyed look appearing upon his nephew's facial plates and knew Bluestreak didn't appreciate being spoken to as a third individual "Well there's nothing wrong with his targeting sensors although they could do with a few tweaks, and his aim is certainly spot on but we still have a few kinks to iron out in terms of his stealth abilities."

"I thought you taught the youngun that?" Ironhide asked "after all didn't ya brag to Jazz you could get Blue here up to special ops standard?"

"'Cade says my sensory panels whisper to much on sensors." Bluestreak cut in before his uncle could reply.

"At least that's an improvement on your giggling." The shock trooper grumbled under his breath.

"I was eight!" The young sniper in training responded.

_****Flashback****_

_It had been a pretty uneventful day since Bluestreak had been landed in Barricade's care, the former of the pair had half guided, half dragged his uncle to the training room near pleading with him to create a few obstacle courses and scenario's like the ones Major Lennox ran his teams through to keep their skills sharp. The shock trooper knew he couldn't ignore the kicked turbo-puppy look Bluestreak was giving him so he had little choice but to drag various equipment out into the room, then place it in different locations. The youngling then told his uncle that he would have to pretend to be the bad guy whilst the little grey mechlet had to get from one end of the course to the other without making any kind of noise or being seen; something Bluestreak knew would be easier said than done since Barricade was an expert in tracking. The first few rounds of playing were proving to be a lot harder than the youngling initially thought as he had already been caught several times, but he was determined that this time he wouldn't be._

_The youngling was currently crouched behind a piece of upturned equipment whilst his baby blue optics scanned the entire room knowing that somewhere his guardian was lying in wait to ambush him. Bluestreak slowly crept out of his hiding place and moved across to another not far from him and could now see the 'safe zone' as Barricade had labelled it, but knew that just running for it was what had got him caught the first few times. A__ scraping noise drew his attention to the stack of equipment just across from him and his young fuel pump began to beat rapidly in his chest, that noise meant his uncle wasn't that far away from him. Rounding the other side of the equipment and utilising the tactics of hide 'n' seek, he laid down upon his front and crawled to the next hiding spot then got up and began running to the exit._

"_Bad idea." Came the calm voice he was so familiar with and turned to see his guardian step out of the shadows of the slightly darkened room and begin running toward his youngling charge, Bluestreak quickly remembered what Barricade had told him when he saw the older bot emerge from hiding and flashed his blue ball he had in his hand at his pursuer (since it was the only thing close to a weapon that the youngling would be allowed to have). The shock trooper made a noise that sounded like he had been shot, tumbled over and laid sprawled upon his back on the floor, the little grey mechlet regardless of whether he should be running to the end or not, turned full about and ran to his uncle and jumped on him giggling._

"_Caaadddeeee!" He said as he poked his uncle's chest armour but his guardian refused to move, he poked him again and this time Barricade twitched. Movement to one side drew Bluestreak's attention, he saw his guardian raise one clawed hand off the floor and move one digit to poke back, giggles began to emanate from the youngling as he tried to move away from the offending digit, then a loud squeal escaped him as the clawed finger poked him in the side he was so protectively trying to hide from the shock trooper. The little grey mechlet slid off his guardian and collapsed into a heap next to him although giggles continued to escape Bluestreak's young frame, then suddenly the lights were brought up to full and Barricade turned his head in the direction of the doors when he heard them open to permit someone into the training room._

"_I glad to see that you're doing something productive in your time off." Came the amused voice of Ironhide as he neared the pair lounging upon the floor whilst scanning the room and the disarray it was currently in._

_"Uncle 'Cade was teachin' me how to sneak round 'Hide." The youngling told him without so much as moving from the spot he was lying in, although the little grey mechlet rolled over onto his belly when his sensory panels protested about being laid upon._

_The weapons specialist couldn't help but quirk a single optic ridge at the little grey mechlet "Uh huh, don't you think your sneaky enough without taking extra lessons in it kiddo?" He levelled a disapproving look at the shock trooper only to receive a small smirk in return. Ironhide snorted in amusement, he had to admit that the cold sparked killer that had once been a Decepticon, had certainly changed since his integration into the Autobot forces although he suspected that Bluestreak had a lot to do with that; after all Praxians held family values in high esteem and Barricade was no exception._

_The youngling simply grinned at him whilst his sensory panels lazily waved back and forth "Nope."_

_Ironhide couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him "I tell you what kiddo, how about we do somethin' that's more to your skill set." The youngling's sensory panels twitched upwards and a curious look appeared upon his facial plates._

_Barricade rolled himself over onto his front then pushed his frame up into a sitting position, he glanced at the old-timer with a single optic ridge raised "Dare I ask?"_

_"Laser targeting, Blue's got a good aim." The weapons specialist replied as he folded his arms across his chest plates._

_"Really? But father said I shouldn't go near guns coz they're dangerous and someone might get hurt, although daddy once let me help clean his gun without father knowing." Bluestreak told his two caretakers, his little sensory panels flicking back and forth._

_"See, what your father doesn't know won't hurt him." The weapons specialist replied._

_"Hmm I'll withhold judgement on that one." The shock trooper murmured as he picked himself up from the floor, he watched his nephew trot alongside the seasoned Autobot warrior babbling excitedly about nothing in particular. The black and white mech on the other servo began wandering how quickly he could make it to Mexico before his brother tracked him down and deactivated him._

_****End Of Flashback****_

"Hmm I remember that, and if I recall correctly the pair of you disappeared into the jungles of south America until Jazz managed to subdue Prowl through persuasive means, in fact I believe it was around that time both of your siblings were conceived." Ratchet said as he slouched back in his seat.

"Ah Ratch did you have too? It's bad enough those two have a knack for traumatising everyone with their slaggin' interfacin' habits." The weapons specialist pointed out as he gave the CMO a disapproving look.

Bluestreak cringed in disgust "Seriously do not need those kind of images in my processor, and they're not the only ones, I remember when you ..." He pointed a slight clawed finger tip in Ratchet's direction "... traumatised me for life when I was only ten after you told Sam and Mikaela that it would be best if they explained to me about how humans copulate which was funny coz Sam went all red leaving poor Mikaela to explain but it was nasty and gross and something that should never be told to a ten year old or a youngling of any age and ..."

Barricade snorted "Wasn't that the time he insisted that the human femme had eaten a sparkling?" He more than happily cut off his nephew's rant.

"Baby." The CMO corrected the shock trooper "and yes it was."

"Humans and their technicalities." The black and white mech replied "and if memory serves me correctly, Prowl was none too impressed about that."

"You kiddin' me? That fragger took away both of our privileges and made us work double shifts for an entire month." Ratchet growled as he folded his arms across his chest whilst a scowl appeared upon his facial plates.

Ironhide chuckled "Although I have to admit I don't know who was more traumatised, Blue or Sam."

"Me." Bluestreak squeaked in response which had the older mechs laughing at his rather unmechly noise.

"So youngun, you think you can beat me at target practise?" The weapons specialist inquired with a single optic ridge raised.

"He doesn't think, he knows he can." Barricade told him without so much as sparing Ironhide a single glance "remember that one time when he was only just beginning to learn laser targeting and managed to shoot all of his targets whilst his supposed mentor kept missing them, I knew you were old, but not old enough that your optical relays were failing you."

"Your motor relays and vocaliser will cease functioning in a nano-click." The weapons specialist growled at the shock trooper.

"In old 'Hide's defence, his targeting scanners were being real iffy and …" Bluestreak spotted Ironhide mouth 'old' at Ratchet whom was grinning broadly at the playful insult made about the weapons specialist's age.

"A glitch in your targeting scanners? That's everyone's excuse." The black and white mech mumbled into his cube of energon.

_****Flashback****_

_There was something wrong, there had to be as there was no way he could continually miss the centre ring on each of his targets. Ironhide knew something hadn't been quite right with his targeting scanners after the last skirmish they had with the Decepticons which had been a couple of days ago, however the weapons specialist had thought it had been only a small glitch that would have worked itself out. But now he knew he should have paid Ratchet a visit to correct the problem before coming here and starting this little exercise with Bluestreak. He had tried to make some adjustments to his targeting scanners, however it only seemed to have made the problem worse and now his plasma rounds were completely missing the targets._

"_Frag it." He cursed lowly to himself, making sure that the youngling was nowhere within hearing range since he knew that he would only receive a lecture from Prowl about the use of inappropriate language around his creation._

"_'Hide did you see that! I shot them all dead centre like you taught me too!" Bluestreak called out in excitement as he bounded up to the weapons specialist, clutching his small and almost harmless gun to his frame. Jazz and Prowl had almost had cyber-kittens when they had discovered that the black mech had given their son a weapon that had been specifically created for the youngling, however Ironhide had reassured them that Bluestreak could do no harm to himself except incur a small indentation from the tiny pellets should it go off accidentally._

_The weapons specialist glanced down at the youngling "You did huh? Let me see." Bluestreak gripped the older mech's hand and began dragging him to where he had been practising, Ironhide glanced at the board and the positioning of each of the pellets, he couldn't help but look surprised when his azure gaze fell upon the large hole in the centre of the sheet of paper "Nicely done Blue."_

"_What about you uncle 'Hide, did you get them all too?" The youngling inquired as he glanced up at the weapons specialist, his little sensory panels waving back and forth in anticipation of an answer from his mentor._

_Ironhide rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand "Uh not really Blue, my aim was off."_

_The little grey mechlet frowned at that "But you never miss coz you always manage to shoot uncle Sides when he's been naughty although father doesn't like it when you do because that means he has to punish you both and then he's stuck with lots and lots of paperwork an' then dad gets really, really grumpy coz sire's gonna be later."_

_The weapons specialist chuckled "I'll try to refrain from shooting your guardian in the aft plates in the future alright." A smile threatened to envelop his entire face when he saw his charge grin and nodded enthusiastically in agreement "come on."_

"_Where we going?" Bluestreak asked as he moved to stand beside Ironhide._

"_To see Ratch, need to get this glitch sorted before I go shootin' 'cons the next time they come out of hiding." The weapons specialist responded, he noticed the youngling's sensory panels twitching in nervousness at the mention of Ratchet's designation and knew that the little grey mechlet harboured a small fear for the CMO 'slaggin' Sideswipe ought to reformat the fragger' He thought since it had been the red front-liner's fault for spinning tales about Ratchet and his 'lair'._

"_I promise he won't turn you into a toaster." Ironhide told the still somewhat anxious Bluestreak as they began heading toward the entrance to the firing range, the youngling simply nodded and trailed after the weapons specialist._

_The little grey mechlet was surprisingly quiet for a few brief moments before he glanced up at his mentor, a small frown upon his young facial plates "'Hide what's a glitch? Coz I hear Uncle Sunny callin' Uncle Sides it before they start fightin' an' why would my dad say it to father when he has a helm hurt even though he's not bein' mean?"_

"_Blue a glitch is a term used for when something isn't working properly, so when your carrier says to your sire that he glitched again isn't because he's being mean, he's telling your father that he had another .. helm hurt." Ironhide began explaining to Bluestreak "where as Sunstreaker on the other servo when he calls Sideswipe a glitch, he's saying it because he thinks his brother's processor isn't working properly."_

_The youngling's frown deepened as he glanced at the floor before baby blue optics met deep azure ones "Then shouldn't uncle Sides see Ratchet if he's not workin' properly?"_

_The weapons specialist chuckled "Ratch can't fix Sideswipe's problem because it wasn't there to begin with, your guardian just likes being a pain to everyone."_

_The little grey mechlet snickered as they rounded the last corner that would take them directly to the med-bay "Dad says the next time Sides pranks someone, he's gonna super glue him to the ceilin' in the rec. room and stick girly stickers on his plating."_

_The weapons specialist simply shook his helm in amusement as he stepped into the med-bay first, he turned round just inside the doorway and watched as the youngling cautiously stepped into the room. The little grey mechlet quickly scanned the room, his little sensory panels were high upon his back and trembling with anxiety, it wasn't that he didn't like Ratchet far from it but he certainly didn't like the CMO's domain one bit. Ironhide waited for Bluestreak to make his way to his side before he trekked further into the med-bay, the weapons specialist glanced around the large room for any sign of the chartreuse mech._

"_Ratch?" He called out, he frowned when there was no response "Ratch." He called out a little louder this time then only seconds later there was a loud clatter of tools followed by muffled cursing. The primarily black mech made his way over to the back of the med-bay where the storage room was located._

"_Everything okay Ratch?" Ironhide inquired as he poked his helm into the storage room where the CMO was currently trying to organise his tools and supplies._

_The chartreuse mech threw a glare of his shoulder "No I'm gonna kill that fragger Sideswipe when I see him, then I'm going to petition Optimus for permission to reformat him into a kitchen appliance, slag it I'll do it anyway." _

"_Uh Ratch." The weapons specialist warned before he subtly gestured to a youngling now hiding behind his legs._

_Ratchet vented a deep sigh when he spotted the little grey mechlet "What do you want anyway?"_

"_Got a glitch in my targeting scanners, was wondering if you could take a look." Ironhide told him._

"_Least you came to me this time rather than tweaking the systems yourself, Primus knows what Prowl and Jazz would have done if you had accidentally shot their offspring." The CMO said as he headed into the main room of the med-bay._

"_I can tell you exactly what they would have done, and Blue's exactly the reason why I came here." The weapons specialist responded as he plucked Bluestreak off the floor and set him down upon one of the berths before settling himself on the same one._

"_'Hide kept missing his targets, but I got all mine." The youngling said as his baby blue optics glanced over the assortment of medical tools arranged upon the tray near him, he immediately noticed the all too familiar wrench Ratchet had a habit of throwing at the other bots including his parents._

_The CMO smirked as he grabbed his scanning device "He did, did he?" He watched as Ironhide cocked his helm to the side in an imitation of an eye roll "and did you get all of yours dead centre?"_

"_Yep." The little grey mechlet responded enthusiastically._

_The weapons specialist snorted in amusement "Blue's gonna be one of our best sharp shooters once all of his skills are honed properly."_

"_Well he does have a good teacher, and don't let Arcee hear that, she's prides herself on being the best sharpshooter in the unit." Ratchet replied as he scrolled through the readings upon the scanning device "I've found where the problem lies, it'll just take a few …." His words trailed off when the doors to the med-bay slid open to permit a bickering pair of mechs into the room._

"_You're such a glitch sometimes." Sunstreaker growled as he led his twin into the repair bay._

"_This time it wasn't my fault, the fragging humans were careless." Sideswipe argued back._

"_Well it wasn't like they expecting an idiot of a Lamborghini to go racing through their hangar whilst they were conducting repairs, and the worst thing is you made me go in there to pick up your sorry aft, do you know how long it takes to get oil off of my finish let alone out of my joints you slagging moron." The gold Lamborghini snapped back, his expression almost murderous._

"_Yea well it was your fault in the … ." The red Lamborghini never got to finish the rest of his sentence when a wrench sailed through the air and clanged loudly against the side of his helm. Sideswipe dropped heavily to the floor almost taking his brother with him, Sunstreaker made a surprised noise as he hastily let go of his twin before he shot a glare in Ratchet's direction. The CMO looked for a lack of a better word completely befuddled as he met the gold front-liner's glare._

"_Don't look at me, I didn't do it." The chartreuse mech told him once he finally managed to compose himself._

_Sunstreaker immediately transferred his hard glare to a snickering Ironhide's before he glanced at the youngest member of their dysfunctional family who was trying as much as possible to look innocent "Blue." He rumbled lessening the intensity of his glare to a disapproving look as the last thing he wanted to do was spook the youngling._

_Bluestreak's sensory panels twitched upon his back "You said Sides has a glitch, an' now Ratch can fix him." _

_****End Of Flashback****_

Ratchet couldn't help but grin at the memory "You have to admit the way he took Sideswipe out was impressive and Sunstreaker's expression was priceless."

"He should have conked the old fragger over the there over the helm, might have fixed his optical sensors." Barricade murmured whilst ignoring the dark look he was receiving from the primarily black mech.

"Alright that's it, you, me targetin' range now!" Ironhide growled as he stood up and pointed a digit in the shock trooper's direction.

The black and white mech glanced up to met the dark glare the weapons specialist was giving him, he quirked a single optic ridge "And if I refuse

"Then I'll drag you there by your scruff bar, let's see if you can put your skills where your mouth plates are." Ironhide responded as he stalked to the entrance of the recreation room, he turned and glanced at Barricade waiting for him to shift his skid-plate. A small sigh escaped the shock trooper before he pushed himself up out of his seat and made his way over.

"Come on Blue we ought to follow just in case they decide to maim one another." Ratchet said as he stiffly pushed himself out of his seat and turned to face the young gunner. Bluestreak simply nodded as he pushed himself out of his seat, he knew what could happen when friendly sparring turned into something that little bit more vicious after the last time the weapons specialist challenged his uncle into a supposedly friendly bout of target practise. The young mech understood that there had been a lot of animosity between the pair due to the fact that Barricade had once been a Decepticon and had done things neither his parents nor any of the other Autobots would divulge about him.

_'Probably a good thing.'_ Bluestreak thought to himself as he and Ratchet followed behind the bickering pair as they made their way through the inter-connecting corridors of the Ark. Suddenly the proximity alarms sounded throughout the ship and immediately the three older mechs veered from their original course to the firing range and began heading down to the hangar bay, Bluestreak listened as Ironhide wasted no time in barking down the comm. line demanding answers as to what was going on before he started yelling at Ratchet for the CMO to get his aft to the med-bay. The young gunner couldn't help but grin as the chartreuse mech told the weapons specialist to go stick one of his cannons up his aft, and that he had already pinged Wheeljack's comm. link. Even Barricade tried to dissuade Ratchet from joining them out in the field but a dark glare and a threat of bodily damage was enough to silence the shock trooper. Finally the journey that seemed to almost last like an eternity was made somewhat difficult by the sudden jolting and rocking motions as the Ark was pummelled by weapons fire, and more often than not Bluestreak found himself stumbling into the bulkheads.

"Fraggin' 'cons, I'll kill the whole slaggin' lot." Ironhide growled as he rounded the next corner, his cannons whirling to life now that they were closer to the hangar bay.

Barricade slid into position next to the large bay doors before his crimson gaze fell upon the tightly coiled frame of the weapons specialist "I do hope you plan to leave us something to blast into oblivion?"

The weapons specialist simply smirked in return "That all depends upon how quick you can fire off a shot."

"Oi less bickering and more moving, or have the pair of you forgotten that there are Decepticons out there." Ratchet growled at the pair of them, he received a pair of glares in return before Ironhide was punching the pad on the wall, the doors slid open permitting a plasma round to come through the opening and slam into the bulkhead.

"How's the frag did they get past the shield?" The weapons specialist asked of no-one in particular.

"Who cares." The shock trooper responded as he thumbed off the safety on his weapon before he rounded the doorway and charged straight into the hangar bay.

"No you don't you fragger." Ironhide growled as he powered up his twin cannons and stormed into the room after the black and white mech.

The CMO vented a loud sigh as he checked his rifle "They get themselves slagged, I'm not repairing them."

Bluestreak snorted as he thumbed off the safety on his rifle, he could feel his spark pulsating wildly in its chamber whilst nervous energy raced through his systems. He felt gentle reassurance from both of his parents that he was going to be fine and they were already on their way. The young gunner drew in a deep intake of air before venting it in a calming breath, the chartreuse mech nodded at him before Ratchet rounded the doorway, narrowly avoiding being hit by a stray plasma round.

_'Now or never.'_ Bluestreak thought to himself as he hoisted his rifle into firing position before he too finally rounded the doorway. Immediately he was met with the smell of burnt ozone and the distinct tang of plasma discharge whilst the repetitive impacts of the rounds hitting metal reached his audios. The young gunner wasted no time in taking up cover behind one of the large pillars, he could hear the weapons specialist cursing up a storm not far from his position. Bluestreak shook his head in amusement at that whilst his cerulean optics scanned the area near him, his door-wings twitched back and forth as they detected vibrations in the air around him, he could detect the distinct hum of flier systems in the hangar bay and knew immediately that they belonged to Starscream and his trine. A hundred thoughts began racing through his processor as to the reason why they were here, however he had to push it to the back of his processor as he rolled out from behind the pillar and quickly made his way across to one of the small transport ships to use as cover.

The young gunner poked his helm round the side of the ship, his trained optics searching for a target that he could hit and take out of commission. Suddenly his left door-wing flicked upwards and to the side when the micro-fine sensor net that covered them detected the subtle shift in the air not far from him, Bluestreak counted the seconds before he finally rolled out from behind his cover and flawlessly aimed in the direction his on-board sensors were pointing him in, he instantly heard the cursing as the round cleanly pierced through Thundercracker's left wing and preventing him from starting a strafing run that would pin Barricade down. He cringed internally as the wound grounded the blue and silver flier, he had been told that Praxians and Vosians shared a common trait when it came to the wing extensions sprouting from their backs (although the latter was certainly more sensitive), which meant that although he knew the resulting injury would be painful, it would give them a fair advantage until reinforcements arrived.

Of course Thundercracker didn't take it too lightly about being taken by surprise and started firing concussive blasts in his direction, Bluestreak could feel the force at which they stuck at his cover although the blue and silver flier was quickly distracted by Barricade as the shock trooper rolled out from behind his cover and managed to draw Thundercracker's attention away from him. The young gunner nodded his thanks before he made a dash for the ladder that would take him to the second level so he could have a better sight advantage, of course he met resistance in the form of Skywarp who popped out from nowhere, but the purple and black flier quickly back peddled away from him much to his surprise. Bluestreak frowned in confusion but none the less shook the thoughts out of his helm as he climbed up the ladder and darted for the control console, he popped up over the top only to freeze when his cerulean optics fell upon the one mechanoid he hoped not to see any time soon.

Immediately images of bright crimson optics that stared intently, not too mention the maw that was filled with sharp denta appeared in his head, his most vivid memories of the Decepticon tyrant had been when he was little when Megatron had attacked the base just to get to him, why? Bluestreak didn't have the answer to that except that maybe it was due to the opportunity the Decepticon leader saw in gaining a new recruit, if not a reasonable bargaining chip. However he had to push that line of thought to the back of his processor when he saw those evil crimson optics focus upon his position, a crooked grin made its way onto the facial plates of the tyrant before the distinct sound of a transformation taking place drifted across the open space. The young gunner barely had the time to scarper out from behind the console he had been using for cover when Megatron opened fire and destroyed the command console, what happened next took them all completely by surprise, the artificial gravity cut out and Bluestreak felt his frame become weightless and drift away from the deck plating he had been lying upon moments before. Now he knew things were going to be marginally more difficult as the Decepticons now had the advantage.

_'Remember that whilst the Decepticons have the advantage of flight, Autobots are more than capable of holding their own in zero gravity.'_ The young gunner recalled his sire telling him before his first training session in zero gravity. His first session when he had been just sixteen Earth years of age, hadn't gone off with a brilliant start as he had picked up numerous scrapes and dents from the many different surfaces he had made contact with. He remembered he had voiced his displeasure to his father about learning zero g. combat especially since the Decepticons had the tendency to attack Earth, but his sire had explained that there would come a time where he could be aboard the Ark when the Decepticons chose to attack the transport ship and disable the artificial gravity as they knew it would put them at a serious disadvantage.

_'A lot like now.'_ Bluestreak thought to himself as he tried a couple of focusing techniques he had been taught to calm his racing systems as he floated upwards toward the ceiling. The young grey mech was now suddenly grateful for the gruelling sessions he had spent with his father in honing his sharpshooting skills further, although he hadn't appreciated being shot at with first paint pellets then very low yield plasma rounds from a small, circular training disc. However it had tested his observational skills (a trait he had learned from Skyfire after spending several hours with the scientist watching a very reclusive animal in its natural habitat), his tracking abilities (Hound had insisted that a good sharpshooter required brilliant tracking skills and had spent hours teaching the youngling at the time to follow simple clues to find someone or something, although his parents were none too pleased about him coming back covered in mud, dust and grass stains). It had also tested his patience (a trait he had inherited from his parents) and his ability to aim, although many Autobots, humans and even the Decepticons were fully aware of just how well he could aim. However like every other ability and skill he possessed, it had been carefully perfected by many hours donated by more than willing mentors such as Ironhide, Barricade, Mirage, Arcee and his guardians were to name a few.

Bluestreak quickly pulled himself out of his thoughts as he allowed his back to collide with the beam before bracing his arms and legs against the rafters in order to hold himself in place, his cerulean optics wasted no time in scanning the bay and the blackness of space beyond the large doors, he was somewhat taken by surprise when he saw just how skilled the three older mechs were at moving through zero g, but then again he knew that they had been at this game a lot longer than him. The young gunner attempted to calm his nerves as he aimed his rifle towards the group of fighting mechs, he immediately targeted Starscream as the silver flier pushed himself off the side of a transport ship in order to pursue Ironhide who was currently focusing his efforts upon keeping Megatron at bay. The Decepticon 2IC cursed bitterly about dismemberment when the plasma round hit him square in the chest plates and sent the silver flier backwards, Bluestreak's right sensory panel twitched and the young gunner was quickly focusing his attention upon the small form of Frenzy as the Symbiont made short work of the distance that separated him and Ratchet, however Bluestreak's reactions were much quicker and the small hacker was hit by a blast from his rifle.

Knowing that his position was now revealed, the young gunner tucked his legs under him and pushed away from the bulkhead and glided toward the top of a transport ship, but a well placed hand spring propelled him away before he could perform a spectacular face plant. Using the momentum which was propelling him up toward the ceiling again, the young gunner successfully managed to fire several consecutive shots to slow a snarling Starscream down, however his next shot missed the Decepticon 2IC entirely when a heavy frame collided with his own. He felt the nauseating spin as he tumbled backwards before someone pulling him down behind of the transports drew his attention away from his churning fuel tank, then cerulean optics finally met bright crimson ones as Barricade hunkered down beside him.

"Well this is all going to the pit." The shock trooper grumbled as he poked his helm around the ship, he quickly ducked back round when a high yield energy blast slammed into the pillar not far from him.

"Wonder where everyone is as Sunny an' Sides would never miss an opportunity to beat the crap out of Screamer and his goon squad." The young gunner responded as he poked his helm round the side to see if he could spot any of the others, but so far all he could see were Decepticons who had invaded the Ark " we're seriously outnumbered an' I can't see 'Hide or Ratch now." Bluestreak risked poking his helm out from behind the transport again, his grip tightening upon the decorative ridge that ran down its entire side, it was the only thing keeping him close to the floor at that moment in time rather than a floating target. The young gunner could see, from his position, the streaks of purple plasma rounds as they cut through the bay before they impacted against an object leaving scorched metal in their wakes, they were in serious trouble especially if reinforcements didn't arrive soon although Ironhide's and Ratchet's colourful cursing surely told him that they weren't going down without a fight.

Suddenly the forcefield that separated the hangar bay from the corridor outside dissipated and instantaneously the air that had been held back rushed out into open space, Bluestreak immediately began cursing in every language he knew of as now it meant that the Decepticons had access to the Ark. The young gunner knew Barricade understood the implications of the forcefield being down as the shock trooper launched himself up and over the transport ship and began opening fire upon a Decepticon who had gotten a little too close to their cover for Bluestreak's liking. The young gunner tightened his grip upon his rifle preparing himself before he hooked one of his hands upon a ridge far above his helm and set his peds upon the deck, then with the best push he could muster he launched himself upwards. The momentum was enough to propel him above the ship, Bluestreak wasted no time in positioning his rifle against his right shoulder strut and opening fire upon a more than unsuspecting Starscream who was sent spiralling backwards. The young gunner allowed the momentum from the single push to carry him upwards so he could get a clear view of the other 'cons only to be struck in the chest plates by a high yield plasma round, Bluestreak cried out in both pain and surprise as he tumbled backwards before his back plates collided heavily with one of the large pillars.

_'Slag in hell that hurt.'_ The young gunner cursed inwardly to himself as he scrabbled for purchase upon the pillar behind him whilst he tried to push the burning pain in his chest plates and the haze that was beginning to settle in his processor. He vented a sigh of relief that he hadn't lost his grip on his weapon, although his carrier had always advised him it was best to carry reserves in the off chance he could lose one or two to the enemy or during the heat of battle. Bluestreak's pain filled cerulean optics immediately locked onto the hulking silver form of Megatron as the Decepticon leader launched himself upwards although the tyrants ascent was halted when someone somewhere reinitialised the artificial gravity in the hangar, the young gunner made a noise of surprise when he felt gravity pull him down but a firm grip held him in place, however from the numerous curses and grunts of pain told Bluestreak that the others hadn't been all that lucky.

The young gunner quickly descended from where he was all the while keeping a tab upon the recovering Decepticons, although once his peds touched the deck Bluestreak stumbled silently as his equilibrium circuits fought to right themselves. However that was the least of his concerns as Megatron was picking himself up from the floor looking all the more pissed then he was before and the young gunner knew he had to get out of the firing line quickly or risk serious injury; not that the shot to the chest was worrying enough for him since it was still oozing energon. Bluestreak quickly ducked behind the pillar and checked the clip in his rifle before slotting it back into place, he worked artificial air back into his intakes in deep calming breaths before he spun out from behind the pillar and began firing in the Decepticon leader's direction.

To say the silver behemoth wasn't pleased about being shot at was an understatement as he fully turned his attention to the young gunner whilst ignoring the taunts the other Autobots were throwing at him to draw his attention back to them. Megatron's crimson optics scanned the hangar bay for any sign of the small grey nuisance who was landing precision hits to his frame, he knew the youngling had an incredible aim that much was certain after he had witnessed the very same deadly accuracy take out even his most seasoned warriors (he was pretty sure Starscream was still off-line from the shot he had taken earlier, although he didn't really care to go and investigate either). But he also knew for the young Autobot to get an accurate shot he would have to pause or at least find a valuable sniping nest, a fact he could easily use to his advantage. Suddenly he spotted a flash of grey plating not far from his position and instantly he reacted, the plasma round grazed his upper left arm and without a moment to lose he responded in kind with a shot from his fusion cannon, he grinned to himself when he heard a yelp of pain since he knew that the injury was bound to slow down the young gunner.

"Youngling if you surrender now, I will spare you." The Decepticon leader called out, his clawed fingers flexing by his sides as he continued scanning the bay for any sign of his quarry. Then he spotted the blue glow of energon upon the floor and knew the youngling had to have been seriously wounded by his last shot; a fact that made the grin upon his facial plates grow all the more wider as he stalked menacingly across the bay floor.

Bluestreak cursed as he inspected the wound that had grazed the side of his right thigh, it was steadily leaking energon but he knew from the few lessons of triage he had learnt from Ratchet that it wasn't too serious. The young gunner hadn't expected Megatron to track him so easily since he had tried using the same manoeuvre techniques his carrier had taught him, let alone get a lucky shot in which was going to slow him down exponentially. Bluestreak knew that there was no way he could trust the Decepticon leader either as he knew if he surrendered to him that the silver behemoth would simply either terminate him the second he did or he would use him as leverage against the other Autobots. The young gunner understood that he was out matched in regards to fire power when it came to Megatron and with his mentors either potentially off-line or preoccupied keeping themselves alive, Bluestreak knew he was on his own and a simple rifle no matter what his skills with it were wasn't going to help him overpower the Decepticon leader. Suddenly he remembered the small EM devices Colonel Lennox had ensured that both Cybertronian and humans alike carried with them at all times, although he hardly suspected that the charge would be enough to take out Megatron, but then again there was only one way he would find out. The young gunner fished inside his sub-space for the devices and removed two of them since he figured one wouldn't be enough, now the only question remained was how did he propose to get in close to the Decepticon leader without getting terminated in the process?

Bluestreak vented air out of his intakes as he considered his options, then he remembered the slingshot he still had in his sub-space and quickly removed it. The young gunner activated the first device and placed it against the overly large elastic band, he drew back the band and darted out from behind his cover so he could get a clear shot of Megatron then he released the tension in the elastic. Bluestreak watched as the device sailed through the air and firmly attached itself to the outside of the Decepticon leader's left calf, he heard the distinct whine as it powered up before Megatron roared in both pain and surprise as his leg collapsed beneath him. The young gunner knew that one of the small EM devices wouldn't be enough to keep the Decepticon leader down and to prove that small fact, the silver tyrant drew the almost lifeless limb underneath him so he could fire off a few rounds that had the intent to incapacitate or terminate him, whichever came first. Bluestreak skipped out of the way as he headed for cover again, he could hear Megatron cursing his lineage as he prepared the next disc. The young gunner drew in a few calming intakes of air before moving out from behind his cover, he successfully lined up the shot; one he was sure would take the Decepticon leader out of the fight and released the elastic band. The small device attached itself to the centre of Megatron's chest plating this time and discharged its EM pulse into his systems, however in his last defiant stand the Decepticon leader fired one last shot; one that found its mark all too well. Bluestreak barely had a chance to register the pain let alone the voices as reinforcements finally arrived as he slipped into the black oblivion of unconsciousness.

* * *

Regaining consciousness after being placed in stasis lock was always an experience that Bluestreak loathed with a vengeance, it made him sluggish to respond to any kind of stimuli although the almost incessant beeping of the monitors above his helm were enough to break through the foggy haze that had engulfed his processor. However he pushed past the irritating noise when he heard a soft voice calling to him, he immediately recognised it to be none other than his carrier. The young gunner on-lined his optics only to off-line them again when the bright lights of the med-bay almost blinded him, he groaned at the slight processor ache it had caused and was more than prepared to simply fall back into recharge like his body was demanding that he do, but with his dad now asking for him to on-line his 'baby blues' again he could hardly ignore his parent's request. Bluestreak un-shuttered his optics and on-lined them again and immediately saw the concerned look upon his carrier's facial plates.

"Hey Blue." He heard his dad call out to him although he was more focused upon the bickering duo he could hear not far from his berth.

"Urgh please tell them to shut up." The young gunner grumbled as he turned down the sensitivity on his audio receptors.

"Oi you two knock it off before I come over there an' bash ya helms together." Jazz scolded the twins, he fixed them with a disapproving look but simply received an indifferent look from Rhythm whilst Rhapsody wore an irritated expression upon her facial plates. The saboteur vented a deep sigh before turning his attention back to his eldest creation "what's th' last thin' ya remember?"

"Headin' to the firing range where 'Hide and 'Cade were gonna squabble it out then the ship wide alert went off and we headed down to the hangar bay which depressurised and I'm pretty sure there were 'cons and I managed to shoot a few of them before I got shot and blacked out and oh Primus is everyone else okay?" Bluestreak demanded as he struggled to push himself up into a sitting position.

"We're all fine Blue." Ratchet called out from the other side of the med-bay, the young gunner glanced around his carrier to see the CMO making his way over with a fussing Wheeljack following in his wake "Ironhide's gonna be fragged that a Decepticon managed to get the drop on him and Barricade will no doubt bitch about the helm ache he's gonna have once he comes back on-line."

Bluestreak looked the chartreuse mech over and noticed a few patches of flexiseal upon Ratchet's plating "What about you? Are you alright coz I remember Starscream and his trine and holy frag Megatron was here too and ..."

"Whoa easy big bro." Rhapsody told her older brother as she clutched her sibling's right shoulder in firm reassurance, her sensory panels lazily waved back and forth "Mega-jerk won't be showin' his face plate around here fer a long time, ya got 'im good."

"Despite the odds that by all rights he should have dismantled you." Rhythm said nonchalantly as he inspected a small scratch upon his left forearm plating before he scowled at his twin.

"Liked ta have seen ya do better … ow dad what was that for?" Rhapsody demanded as she rubbed the back of her helm where she had been lightly clipped round the back of the head.

Jazz fixed his daughter with a light glare "Don't go goadin' ya brother inta an argument or I'll ask ya father ta send ya somewhere desolate an' out of th' way until ya can learn ta get along."

"You tried that before an' it didn't work in fact I remember Ultra Magnus pleading with you to take them back because they were getting on his nerves with their constant bickering." Bluestreak pointed out, he could easily recall that week when the thirteen year old twins had been sent to the Tranquillity base to spend time there until they could learn to co-operate with one another, however within a space of a few hours Ultra Magnus had been on the comm. line demanding that they take them back and keep them.

"I thought you had your servos full when they were sparklings never mind them being young adults." Ratchet snickered as he glanced at the sulking Rhapsody whilst Rhythm looked decidedly smug "right all of you out as your cluttering up my med-bay and Bluestreak needs to rest."

"We'll see ya later Blue." Rhapsody told her older brother as she squeezed his forearm who smiled back at her in return.

Rhythm simply dipped his helm before sliding off the berth he had been sat on and began making his way towards the entrance to the med-bay, although not before his twin rushed up to him and clipped him round the back of the helm. The primarily black mechling cursed and took off after his cackling sibling as she bolted through the doors.

Jazz vented a deep intake of air out of his vents "I'm callin' ya father, he can deal wit' them." Bluestreak snickered at that "anyway we'll see ya later kiddo an' Ratch ya better get back on ya berth 'fore 'Jack blows a gasket."

A low growl escaped the CMO and he threw a dark glare in the saboteur's direction "I'm fine, I do not need to ..." A loud _clang!_ reverberated throughout the entire med-bay before Ratchet dropped to the floor in a heap unconscious, both Jazz and Bluestreak glanced at an irritated Wheeljack who was more than happily holding a heavy wrench.

"What the frag 'Jack? Ya know he's gonna have your transistors when he on-lines again." The saboteur told him, still getting over his shock of seeing the medic drop to the floor like a ton of lead whilst his eldest creation sat upon his berth, mouth plates dropped open in surprise.

The engineer simply shrugged his shoulder struts "I know but that made me feel good, he's been resisting the need to rest ever since he came back on-line, I'm dreading the moment both Ironhide and Barricade come out of stasis."

"I think you'll manage somehow 'Jack, you took down ole Hatchet without a second thought, just keep your trusty wrench with you." Bluestreak told him with a large grin tugging at the corners of his lip components.

Jazz couldn't help but grin before he poked his son in the side "Don't encourage him, an' you should be restin'."

"Yea, yea I know besides don't you have a pair of twins to go and sort out or are you really gonna leave father to deal with them since you know there's a likelihood of him crashing if Rhapsody starts sprouting stuff that makes no sense." The young gunner said as he laid down upon left side.

The saboteur cocked his helm to the side in an imitation of an eye roll "Fine I'll go rescue your sire, you be good fer 'Jack or I'll give 'im permission ta use th' wrench ta subdue ya too." Bluestreak managed to look mortified at the idea before he levelled a light glare at his carrier who grinned at him in return "anyway I'll see ya later Blue an' I'll see if Sunny an' Sides will drop by fer a visit." The young gunner simply nodded in return as he settled down ready to drop off back into recharge. Jazz shook his head in amusement as he gently grasped his eldest creation's right shoulder struts in reassurance before stepping away to give Wheeljack a hand to get the unconscious Ratchet up onto a berth.

Bluestreak watched as his carrier helped the engineer place the CMO upon a berth before his dad quickly made his way out of the med-bay, he couldn't help but smirk at the thought of the anarchy his twin siblings were going to create for his parents once they found them. The young gunner loved every aspect of his life, well with the exception of the Decepticons he could do without them, but there was nothing about his family nor his extended adopted family he would change for the world.

* * *

_**A/N: **Another one down, next up: Of Sparklings and Bumblebees. _


	32. Of Sparklings and Bumblebees

_**Title**: Of Sparklings and Bumblebees_

_**Rating**: K+_

_**Universe: **Bayverse_

_**Characters**:Bluestreak, Bumblebee, Barricade, Prowl and mention of others_

_**Warnings**: slight humour, use of profanities_

_**Disclaimer**: Not mine, I just like to toy with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition_

_'Blah' – thoughts_

_::Blah:: - Radio Communication_

_:/blah\: - Inter. comm._

_::/Blah\\:: Bond communication_

If there was one thing Bumblebee despised the most and that was being left with no choice but to remain upon the base and take it easy, the scout had been less than pleased when Ratchet had taken him off duty. Normally it wouldn't have been too bad if Sam and Mikaela, even their eccentric friends Miles and Leo, had been on the base as at least he would have had company, but the four young adults much to their disgruntlement had prior commitments, although Sam had told him that he would rather face down Megatron again then have to go visit his father's side of the family. Usually he would cart the family around when he wasn't on assignment but due to the minor injury he had sustained during a sparring session with none other than Barricade, he had to remain here at Diego Garcia instead. Bumblebee had to admit he had been lucky that he had only twisted the muscle cables surrounding his knee rather than tear them, but that didn't stop Ironhide from wanting to dismember the shock trooper after hearing the news. The scout recalled that Prowl had no choice but to get the pair of them off the base before they damaged something or stepped on a human or Bluestreak for that matter.

Speaking of the bouncy and exuberant bundle of grey parts, the scout had volunteered to look after the bitlet for the day despite his healing injury. Bumblebee knew the sparkling was becoming more of a servo-ful lately now that Bluestreak was bum shuffling, crawling and using furniture to pull himself up with, although thankfully he wasn't walking .. yet. Much of the base weren't looking forward to that moment as the sparkling was more than a handful with being able to crawl as it was. More often than not both the Autobots and the humans easily lost track of the sparkling, or found themselves quickly moving things out of the way before Bluestreak was able to get his diminutive servos upon them. Sam had asked whether his guardian was out of his freaking mind when the scout had contacted him the night before, Bumblebee had asked what he had meant by that; after all the other mechs on the base had looked after Bluestreak, although the scout had to admit that they looked very much frazzled at the end of the day. Of course the boy's mother Judy had more than a few words of advise to give him which nearly had him changing his mind about looking after the bitlet altogether. Bumblebee shook his head in amusement, both Judy and Sarah Lennox had a habit of offering as much of their own experiences with child upbringing and what to do in a crisis much to the entertainment and slight irritation of Prowl and Jazz; after all Cybertronian infants were far different from human ones.

Bumblebee finally arrived at the residential section and made his way to Prowl and Jazz's quarters, once there he pinged the 2IC's comm. link just in case there was a chance that Bluestreak was taking his morning nap. Of course the last thing he wanted was a grumpy sparkling to look after, he received a brief communiqué in response before he heard the audible click of a lock and the doors slid open. The scout quickly tried to smother the smile that attempted to creep across his lip components at the sight before him, the once spotless room looked as though a small hurricane had swept through it leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. There were numerous toys scattered about the place whilst several different coloured sparkling sized hand-prints were sat proudly in all their painted glory upon the walls, Bumblebee also happened to notice that there were a couple of towels slung over the back of the couch and a drying energon patch upon the floor near the counters.

But what caught the scout's attention was Prowl as he stepped into the room and made his way across to the playpen, the normally calm and cool headed 2IC was looking a little more than stressed, Bumblebee figured it had to do with a certain nine month old loudly squealing and clicking sparkling. More than a few bots had told the bonded pair just how much the infant was like Jazz in personality particularly his sheer stubborn determination, the scout briefly wondered whether it had been his unfavourable personality trait that Bluestreak had inherited from his carrier that had Prowl looking as though he was ready to maim something.

"I must apologise for the mess Bumblebee." Prowl told him as the tactician placed a loudly chirping and clicking Bluestreak into his playpen, the sparkling squealed when he spotted one of his stuffed toys the second he was set down and immediately crawled across to it.

The scout quickly smothered a snicker that wanted to escape his vocaliser "No need to apologise sir."

Prowl flicked his door-wings in irritation "Jazz was somewhat in a rush this morning so I've not had much time to clear up, then a certain creation decided to show just how much of a terror he can be when left unsupervised."

Ah so that explained the paint on the walls and the still drying energon patch on the floor, although the scout couldn't help but feel his spark plummet in its chamber at the mention of his team leader. He was meant to accompany the rest of the special ops team to southern Russia to gather Intel. on the recent Decepticon activity, however he had to that he rather be here where it was warm than suffer through minus below temperatures.

"I'll remember to keep a close optic on him sir." Bumblebee told him as he watched the tactician pick up a couple of discarded toys and place them in the large crate, although there were a few that he placed inside of Bluestreak's carry round bag.

Prowl gave the scout a small reassuring smile "You'll be fine."

The scout simply nodded before making his way across to the playpen, Bluestreak was happily bashing two of his blocks together however no sooner that he spotted Bumblebee, the troublesome bitlet squealed and began making grabbing motions with his diminutive hands. The scout glanced across to Prowl and was just about to ask his permission to pick Bluestreak up when the tactician beat him to it, Prowl simply flicked his door-wings in acknowledgement of the unspoken request. Bumblebee reached over the top of the playpen and plucked the exuberant sparkling up off the floor, Bluestreak squealed in delight and fluttered his sensory panels as he bounced in the scout's arms. Bumblebee couldn't help but chuckle in amusement at the bitlet's antics since this was usual standard behaviour from the infant when he was in someone else's arms, in fact he didn't think there was one mech on base that Bluestreak didn't like; sure there were one or two he was wary of but much of the time he went to any bot without fuss.

"Frag it." Prowl cursed much to the surprise of the scout; after all it was rare to ever hear the tactician use any form of a profanity even when he was berating Sideswipe for his stupidity "it appears our new human liaison officer has arrived a lot sooner than anticipated."

Bumblebee frowned in confusion as his superior handed him Bluestreak's carry round bag "New liaison officer sir? I thought that Galloway character was our human liaison officer?"

Prowl snorted and flicked his door-wings as he made his way across the room and palmed the pad on the wall next to the doors "After that glitch I call a spark-mate decided to make it his mission to 'freak' out Director Galloway by stalking him and thus ending his time with us, the Secretary of Defence decided to assign someone who is not so easily intimidated by us."

"You have to admit sir that Jazz did us a favour by getting rid of him as I know there were a few individuals who were very tempted to make him 'disappear'." Bumblebee told his superior as he followed him out of his quarters and into the corridor.

"I'm sure there were." The tactician responded with a tint of amusement in the tone of his voice "I shall take my leave and I'll see you later." The black and white mech then directed his attention to the sparkling in the scout's arms, he smoothed a hand over the infant's helm and lightly tickled the stubby sensory panels which produced a round of giggles that escaped the exuberant bundle of grey parts "and you be good for 'Bee." Bluestreak simply chirped in response before shoving a diminutive hand into his mouth and began nibbling at his plating. Prowl shook his amusement before he turned his attention to Bumblebee, he dipped his helm at the scout before making his way down the corridor and disappeared from sight.

Bluestreak chirped inquisitively when he noticed the absence of his sire, Bumblebee glanced down at the sparkling "Your father's gone to work Blue, but you'll see him later." The infant chirped in response and simply flicked his sensory panels, the scout vented a sigh of relief as he had been concerned that Bluestreak would begin crying for his father since the sparkling had done it once or twice before although luckily enough he hadn't been the one sparkling-sitting at the time "well we ought to get going to the rec. room hey Blue?" the infant glanced up at him and gave a long, low whistle in what the scout perceived as an affirmation before he began making his way slowly to the recreation room. Bumblebee took his time making his way through the inter-connecting corridors passing numerous humans who either dipped their heads in acknowledgement of his presence or said a simple hello, however there were a few that were a little more enthusiastic in their greetings once they spotted Bluestreak. The scout couldn't help but chuckle in amusement as the sparkling clumsily waved back at the humans before settling himself quite happily in Bumblebee's arms as the scout continued to make the journey to the rec. room.

Finally they arrived at the recreation room although Bumblebee had to step around the area that had been cornered off. The damage to the wall had been caused by a pair of rambunctious twins a couple of days ago, he had overheard Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had been fighting over something petty only for it to evolve into a brawl that ended with two badly dented Lamborghinis, a fuming tactician, a rather ticked off CMO and a wall that was in desperate need of repairs. In fact as far as Bumblebee knew the pair of them were still in the brig and probably weren't going to see the light of day until their new liaison officer had completed her tour of the base and had the chance to settle in. The scout stepped inside the rec. room and glanced around, he spotted a few off-duty personnel scattered around the room but surprisingly none of his own comrades, although he figured Prowl would have assigned them extra duties to keep mishaps from occurring.

Bumblebee made his way over to the Autobot sized couch, the very same one the twins normally occupied to prevent anyone whether they were Cybertronian or human from taking control of the flat-screen when they were watching it. Bumblebee picked up the remote and flipped through the channels to find the cartoons, it was only after he found them that he dared to put Bluestreak down in the couch. Surprisingly the sparkling was more than happy to sit still and watch the programme being shown, the scout couldn't help but be surprised at the lack of movement from the normally exuberant infant except for the brief fluttering of his sensory panels. However Bumblebee knew the peace wouldn't last and had placed several toys around Bluestreak prior to him sitting down, but the sparkling seemed far more interested in clambering off the couch than sitting still. The scout watched closely as the infant turned himself around so he was lying upon his belly and his peds were hanging over the edge before he shuffled himself backwards until his peds touched the floor, with his task now accomplished Bluestreak happily stood with his small frame leaning against the couch for support.

"Getting pretty good at that Blue, won't be long before you're on your peds creating anarchy." Bumblebee told the sparkling as he continued to watch the infant closely, the scout shifted to the edge of the couch so he was ready at a moments notice in case Bluestreak ran into trouble. Although it seemed the infant was becoming quite the pro at it as he edged his way along the furniture to the end, however it was at the end that Bluestreak did something rather surprising, the sparkling took one hand away from the couch and turned slightly. Bumblebee felt his spark begin to flutter in its casing as he sat and watched the infant perform these simple steps that could very well lead to the end of his days crawling and using the furniture to get around, to the start of him trotting around unaided. However today was simply not that day as the sparkling dropped down onto his backside and began crawling away.

"Where are you going bitlet?" Bumblebee inquired as he pushed himself up onto his peds before moving and sitting down again upon the arm of the couch so he had a better view advantage of what Bluestreak was up to from there. The scout knew he didn't have to be as vigilant as he was being since there was hardly anything for the infant to harm himself on, but he remained cautious none the less. Bumblebee watched in rapt fascination as the noisily clicking and warbling sparkling made several laps of the recreation room before pulling himself up on different pieces of furniture, or picking up bits and bobs that he found upon the floor. Although there had been a few times where the scout had no choice but to get up and bring the bundle of grey parts back over to the couch since the doors to the recreation room had been wedged open whilst repairs were being conducted.

Bluestreak spent much of his morning exploring the recreation room, pulling himself up on various bits of furniture and walking around them with the exception of the hour he had spent in recharge curled up in his caretaker's lap. But now after ingesting his mid-day ration the sparkling was happily sat on his rump playing with the toys his sire had placed in his carry round bag. Bumblebee had to admit that watching over Bluestreak wasn't as bad as he had initially thought it would be, but then again the sparkling had been rather good all morning if not somewhat adventurous, although that was to be expected now with his increased range of mobility. However Bumblebee knew it would be that form of trait which would get Bluestreak into trouble the older he got, not that there was anywhere here on the base that could harm him with the exception of Wheeljack's lab.

The scout glanced down to where the sparkling was still happily sat on his rump playing with his toys before his attention was dragged to the flat-screen television when a news alert regarding a massive earthquake somewhere in the world appeared upon the screen, he could understand why Hound loved this world so much since their own didn't have so many natural wonders let alone shifting tectonic plates like this one did. However it was also this awesome power of nature that could also change the very fabric of people's lives. The yellow mech had to admit that he envied Bluestreak being born on a world such as this one as despite their long war following them here, the sparkling could still enjoy the freedom of experiencing life without worrying about the Decepticons being a continuous threat. Speaking of a certain grey coloured infant, Bumblebee happened to notice that Bluestreak seemed to have gone a little quiet which the scout knew was not a good thing. The yellow mech visibly cringed as he glanced down to where the sparkling had been for the past half an hour only to feel his spark clench in its casing when he realised the spot next to him was empty, immediately he was on his peds scanning the room for the missing infant but he turned up empty handed.

Bumblebee made several circuits round the room hoping that Bluestreak had either slipped under or behind the various bits of furniture in the room, however the more he looked the more he began to fear that the sparkling had somehow made his way out of the room. His fears were further confirmed when he spotted the construction crew who had been working upon the damage in the corridor were taking their lunch break. The scout's door-wings flared up into a sharp 'V' in alarm as he rushed across the room nearly stepping on a few humans in his haste, the yellow mech stepped out into the corridor and wasted no time in checking to see if any of the barriers around the construction area had been shifted. Of course it appeared that Primus was against him today as he discovered much to his disgruntlement that a couple of barriers had been moved, and if that was a clear sign of Bluestreak disappearing into the large gap in the wall then the loud clicking and chirping emanating from the duct above him definitely was. Bumblebee cursed in as many languages as he knew as he realised his predicament, there was no simply no way he was going to be able to get Bluestreak out of the vents without calling for help, unless he could track the sparkling as he made his way through the ventilation until he either reached a dead end or he passed over one of th many metal grates which could be opened.

The scout calibrated his sensors so they were at their highest sensitivity and followed the muffled noises the sparkling was creating as he continued his trek through the ventilation ducts. Of course with Bumblebee's attention focused entirely upon the ceiling above him, that he neglected to watch where he was going and more often than not nearly stepped on several of the human personnel as they too made their way through the inter-connecting corridors.

"I'd ask but I'm not sure I want an answer." Came a voice from behind Bumblebee, the scout spun round quickly at the familiar baritone before his optics fell upon the black and white plating of Barricade.

Bumblebee shifted upon his peds and refused to meet Barricade's intense stare "I uh …."

The shock trooper's crimson optics narrowed when he happened to notice that something appeared to be missing "Weren't you supposed to be watching Bluestreak today?"

The scout nervously swallowed and his door wings drooped upon his back, he wasn't normally wary of the black and white mech after all he had faced off against the mech many times in the past. But Bumblebee knew it would only take a few seconds for Barricade to communicate his irresponsibility across the sibling bond he shared with Prowl "I .. I can explain."

The shock trooper vented noisily and folded his arms across his chest as he shot a pointed look at the scout "Let me guess you managed to lose him?"

The yellow mech's door wings drooped completely until they were flat against his back and he refused to meet Barricade's gaze "I only turned my back on him for a few seconds." Bumblebee mumbled.

A snort of amusement escape the shock trooper as he allowed his arms to fall down next to his sides "It only takes a few seconds bug for him to disappear, the little fragger can be quick when he wants to be even if the bitlet isn't walking yet."

The scout picked up the slight implication in the black and white mech's tone that suggested that he too had the misfortune of losing Bluestreak whilst watching over him, not that he would get that kind of confession out of Barricade; the mech never admitted to his mistakes.

"Have you thought about asking the glitched paranoid idiot you call a security director for help?" Barricade inquired as he folded his arms across his chest plates and rose a single optic ridge as he shot the yellow mech a pointed look.

Bumblebee knew there were some times where he felt the need to shoot himself for being stupid, although he'd rather shoot the shock trooper for pointing out the obvious. The scout shot a glare at Barricade before reluctantly accessing his comm. link and pinged the security director's comm. frequency.

_::Yes Bumblebee.::_ Came the immediate response from Red Alert.

"Red I need you to locate Bluestreak?" The scout told him as he nervously shifted on his peds.

_::Bluestreak?:: _The security director inquired with a tint of confusion in the tone of his voice _:: why are you asking me to locate . . . is he missing?::_

"How very perceptive of you." Barricade growled " now give us his fraggin' location."

There was a brief moment of silence on the other end of the comm. link _::He's in the ventilation ducts several corridors away from you and still moving, I can guide you there.::_ Red Alert responded.

Bumblebee knew the security director probably wanted to know how the sparkling ended up in the ventilation ducts in the first place, but for not the scout simply vented a sigh of relief from his intakes that the bitlet hadn't gotten too far "Thanks Red, and it'd be appreciated if you didn't mention any of this to Prowl."

There was a small nervous chuckle from Red Alert _::Understood.:: _

The pair of them made their way through the inter-connecting corridors as they followed the security director's guidance, they passed numerous humans who looked at them curiously, although a fair few of them grumbled under their breaths about giant alien robots not watching where they were going. Bumblebee couldn't help the nervous fluttering of his door-wings as they continued through the hallways as he prayed to Primus that they wouldn't run into Prowl. It seemed that their deity was listening to his prayers that day when they entered one of the long corridors.

_::That's it, Bluestreak should be right above you.::_ Red Alert informed them.

Both Bumblebee and Barricade glanced up at the ceiling above them, they could hear several bumps and thuds as the sparkling shifted around in the duct plus the numerous chirps, clicks and whistles that were escaping the bitlet.

"Brilliant, how exactly are we supposed to get him out of there?" The shock trooper grumbled as he began running the different methods of extracting Bluestreak from the ventilation duct through his processor.

"Easy." The scout responded when he spotted a metal grate a little further down the corridor, the problem however was going to be able to reach it since the hallways had been designed to accommodate Optimus' height in mind. Bumblebee heard footsteps approach and spared a glance at Barricade as the shock trooper joined him under the vent cover.

"Well any bright ideas as to how we're going to get it off?" Barricade inquired as he glanced at the yellow mech.

"We need something small to undo those screws." Bumblebee told him as he fished around in his sub-space for anything he could use to undo the screws with, he made a small noise of triumph when he found a small piece of metal that he knew would do the trick.

The shock trooper looked less than pleased about the situation "And I suppose you believe that I'm going to lift you?"

A small grin made its way onto the scout's facial plates "I am slightly smaller than you and probably lighter too."

Barricade shot Bumblebee a suspicious look as he wasn't sure whether to believe that was true or not, although he aware of the fact that the frames of Jazz and his special ops unit had been designed to carry thin, lightweight armour rather than the thick armoured plates that he and the others were outfitted with.

The shock trooper vented a heavy sigh out of his intakes "Fine." The black and white mech crouched down and waited for the yellow mech to clamber onto his shoulder struts, Barricade groaned as his frame was made to bare the weight of another as Bumblebee settled himself albeit awkwardly upon his shoulders. The shock trooper came to the decision that the scout was in no way a lightweight as he pushed himself up to stand, he knew by the end of the day he was going to sorely regret doing this.

"Stop squirming so much bug." Barricade growled with discernible strain in the tone of his voice as he gripped Bumblebee's lower legs.

"It's not as easy as it looks." The scout bit back from his position atop of the shock trooper's shoulder struts, he was currently in the process of undoing the screws that were far too small for his liking to the vent cover above him "Red has Blue moved from his last position?"

_::No he's still there, I could send Inferno to assist the pair of you it would certainly speed up the process.::_ The security director responded.

"I appreciate the gesture Red, but we've got this." Bumblebee told him as he unscrewed the second to last screw before beginning work on the very last one, normally he would happily welcome Inferno's help under normal circumstances but this was his problem and he was going to solve it no matter what. The scout made a small triumphant noise when the last screw dropped to the floor and the yellow mech was finally able to pry the vent cover off, the metal plate clattered noisily to the floor which had both mechs cringing from the sound. Bumblebee gripped the edge of the vent pulling himself up slightly so he could reposition his knees upon the shock trooper's shoulder struts which earned him multiple curses from the black and white mech before he poked his helm into the gap. Bumblebee scanned the vent for signs of the sparkling and vented a sigh of relief out of his intakes when he spotted Bluestreak not far from him. The sparkling chirped and whistled excitedly at him whilst clapping his diminutive hands, the scout took note of just how dirty the infant was and knew the second he got him out of there that Bluestreak would need a bath; an activity that the scout wasn't looking forward too.

"Hey Blue." Bumblebee called as he wormed an arm into the narrow space and attempted to wave the sparkling over.

"Hurry the slag up bug, get that little cretin out of there." Barricade growled at the scout, he could feel his legs begin to tremble and had to lock his knee joints before they gave way under him.

Bumblebee gave an irritated flick of his door-wings in response before focusing his attention upon the infant "Come on Blue." The scout called out to the sparkling, Bluestreak squealed and giggled at him but none the less obliged him by bum shuffling across the last couple of metres to him. Bumblebee awkwardly wormed both of his arms into the narrow space and wrapped both of his hands around the infant's middle. However just as he managed to get a grip on Bluestreak, the scout felt Barricade wobble dangerously beneath him before the shock trooper finally collapsed. The two mechs went down in a tangle of limbs, but despite their unforeseen pile up Bumblebee had managed to keep Bluestreak out of harms way and now the sparkling was squealing in delight from where he was hanging in the scout's grip.

"Urgh get off me." Barricade snarled beneath ? tons of Autobot.

The yellow mech grumbled under his breath at the shock trooper before rolling to his peds and shifting his hold on Bluestreak. Bumblebee couldn't help but grimace at the state of the sparkling and knew that if either of his parents saw the dirt and grim on his tiny frame, the scout would immediately lose his babysitting privileges.

"We best get him clean before Prowl sees him." Bumblebee said as he glanced at the ex con.

Barricade took several steps backwards and glared at the scout "I've already helped you enough, you're on your own." The shock trooper watched as both Bumblebee's shoulders and door-wings slumped in dejection and even Bluestreak went quiet as he glanced between his caretakers, the black and white mech vented a deep sigh out of his intakes "fine I'll help." The reaction from both Bumblebee and Bluestreak was instantaneous after hearing those words, a large grin appeared upon the scout's facial plates whilst the sparkling trilled happily. The two of them made their way through the inter-connecting hallways to the residential section, although they quickly found themselves at a loss of where to take the sparkling to get him cleaned as Bumblebee felt incredibly awkward about inviting Barricade into his own quarters and even thinking about going to the shock trooper's sent shivers down his spinal strut. Surprisingly the black and white mech led him to his sibling's quarters and entered the code into the keypad, the lights flickered on as they stepped inside.

Barricade scanned the room and had to snicker at the state of it, if there was one thing he knew about his younger brother and that was the Prowl was almost obsessive about tidiness. The shock trooper shook his head in amusement before he turned to the scout "Try not to lose him again while I run a bath for him."

Bumblebee shot a glare at Barricade's retreating back before making his way over to where Bluestreak's playpen was nestled, he had seen signs on the way over here that the sparkling was beginning to tire from the day's events and hoped it wouldn't be long before he was ready for his next nap. The scout settled the infant down on the cushioned mat without fuss and busied himself with tidying the room, Bumblebee knew that having a sparkling was time consuming and things ended up being slightly neglected such as the tidiness of a room in this case, however he hadn't realised just how much until Bluestreak had entered their lives. But the scout quickly discovered that the sparkling provided them a distraction from the war that still raged on, his presence also allowed them to think of possibilities that many of them had not considered once the conflict was over.

Bumblebee found himself being drawn back to the playpen when he heard a distressed noise escape Bluestreak and placed the blanket he had picked up on one of the counters before making his way over, the sparkling had managed to get himself wedged in the corner and was struggling to move round so he could escape. However the scout decided that rather than free him and set him in another spot, he plucked Bluestreak out of his spot and settled him in his arms. The sparkling warbled tiredly at him and settled against his chest plates, Bumblebee couldn't help the small sparkling warble that escaped him and watched as Bluestreak pushed himself away from his chest plates and stare up at him intently with baby blue optics. The little grey infant warbled curiously at him but his attention quickly shifted to the other mech who had just entered the room.

"Come on let's get this over with." Barricade said as his crimson gaze settled upon the sight of Bumblebee holding Bluestreak, it was almost ironic coincidental how the scout shared so much with the sparkling already with the two of them being born during the course of the war and being raised by caretakers, but if there was one thing Bluestreak had that Bumblebee didn't and that was his parents. The shock trooper didn't know much about the scout's origins except that he had supposedly been a 'lucky find' in one of the war torn cities on Cybertron, whether that was true was very much up for debate and speculation.

Bumblebee made his way across the room and stepped into the wash rack, he was all too aware of Barricade close behind him but ignored him in favour of the sparkling who was now bouncing excitedly in his arms; a complete turnaround from a few moments prior. He had overheard that if there was one thing Bluestreak enjoyed the most and that was his baths although he also learned that was when the sparkling was his most playful and would soak anyone within the vicinity. The scout nervously made his way over to where the bath was situated and immediately noticed that it was only a few inches deep, but none the less knelt down beside it. He became aware of Barricade kneeling down beside him and couldn't help the nervous tension show in his frame as he warily held Bluestreak over the tub.

"Lower him in slowly as even though its round about the right temperature, he still might react negatively to it." The shock trooper instructed as he watched Bumblebee's every move; after all the very sparkling he was holding shared part of his coding.

The scout couldn't help his nervous disposition ramp it up another notch as he did as he was instructed, he was all too aware that Bluestreak and Barricade were related through coding; the very same coding that belonged to Prowl who was in turn bonded to Jazz who happened to be his team leader and a mech capable of making his existence miserable if anything happened to his creation. Bumblebee very nearly dropped Bluestreak when the sparkling squealed loudly once his peds touched the water and squirmed to get out of his grip, the scout managed to deposit Bluestreak in the bath without incident and took the soft bristled brush from the shock trooper. He applied a tiny amount of cleaning fluid on it before gently beginning to scrub the sparkling's back plates, Barricade watched him for a few seconds before turning his attention to the noisy bitlet attempting to drown a rubber duck he had thrown in earlier. He was going to have to have words with his younger sibling about Bluestreak's murderous inhibitions towards inanimate objects.

The pair of them quickly discovered that the sparkling disliked being co-operative when it came to cleaning his front, but Bumblebee soon found away of distracting the stubborn bitlet by offering his fingers as a means for Bluestreak to pull himself up with. Now with one sparkling quite distracted, Barricade was finally able to clean the front of the overly exuberant infant although Bluestreak began twittering in agitation at him as he tried to wipe the sparkling's facial plates clean. The scout couldn't help the grin that appeared upon his lip components which only grew wider when the shock trooper shot him a glare.

"Stop grinning like a glitched idiot and grab a towel." Barricade snapped as he slipped his servos around Bluestreak's middle.

Bumblebee simply flicked his door-wings before pushing himself up onto his peds and making his way over to the shelving unit and plucked a small towel off the top shelf, the scout made his way back over and held the towel out just as the shock trooper lifted a less than pleased sparkling out of the tub. Barricade dumped Bluestreak none too gracefully in Bumblebee's arms and quickly busied himself with letting the water out of the bath and tidying up around it, the scout bundled the sparkling in the towel and carried him out of the wash rack and towards the bitlet's berth-room. Bumblebee quickly learned that Bluestreak was less than co-operative when it came to being dried unless given his musical rattle, the scout had to thank Jazz's ingenuity to create a toy the bitlet enjoyed so much. Bumblebee managed to get Bluestreak dried as quickly as possible and just in the nick of time as the sparkling began making the low humming noise they all knew was associated with him being hungry, the scout did briefly ponder how he was going to prepare a bottle with an armful of fussing sparkling when Barricade appeared in the doorway. The shock trooper made his way into the room and plucked Bluestreak out of Bumblebee's arms and carried him out into the main living space.

The scout pushed himself up from the floor and followed after the black and white mech, he had to admit he was surprised at Barricade's behaviour as the shock trooper always appeared cold, bull headed and indifferent. But this was something entirely different, he had never seen this softer side of the black and white mech before although he had only seen the dangerous, cold sparked killer that Barricade had been during the war. Bumblebee watched somewhat in awe as he made his way across to the couch as the shock trooper gave Bluestreak his last feed of the day, the scout observed every motion the black and white mech made and committed it to memory for future reference. Bumblebee sat down on the other end of the couch and allowed his tired frame to slump into the cushions, he noticed the small smirk tugging at one corner of Barricade's lip components, but he couldn't find the energy to snap anything at him let alone glare. The scout felt each of his systems beginning to power down however he was pulled from his pre-recharge haze when he heard the doors whoosh open. Bumblebee checked his chronometer and couldn't help the surprised noise that escaped him when he realised it was the end of the day shift already. The scout pushed himself up and glanced over the top of the couch, his azure gaze immediately fell upon Prowl as the tactician made his way across to them, the yellow mech had to admit it was still hard getting use to seeing Prowl leave his office so early in the day.

"You're lucky brother, he's just dropped off to sleep." Barricade told his sibling as he gently handed the slumbering infant to him.

Prowl shifted Bluestreak so the sparkling's helm was resting upon his left shoulder strut whilst the rest of his small frame was curled into his sire's chest plates "Thank you 'Cade, and especially you as well Bumblebee." The tactician responded as he began heading towards his creation's berth-room, although before he crossed the threshold he turned his attention back to the scout and the shock trooper, a small smirk playing upon his lip components "I spoke to the engineering department about rushing the repairs outside of the recreation room in order to prevent another event that occurred today."

"Event sir?" Bumblebee inquired nervously as he briefly glanced at Barricade, the shock trooper was wearing his usual cold indifferent expression but Bumblebee could tell he was somewhat amused by the situation.

"I happened to be in the security officer with our new Liaison when you asked Red Alert for help in locating Bluestreak." Prowl told him as he glanced down at his slumbering creation, it was truly amazing that someone so small could cause so much anarchy. The tactician returned his attention to the scout and his sibling, he immediately noted the apprehension and unease that seemed to have settled in Bumblebee's frame and knew that he needed to reassure the scout as quickly as possible "I shouldn't worry yourself too much about it Bumblebee, you're not the first mech to lose sight of him." Prowl directed the last of that sentence in Barricade's direction only to receive a glare in return from his older sibling however the tactician simply ignored it "next time I'll ensure that you have help." A small smirk tugged at the corners of his lip components as he glanced at the seemingly oblivious shock trooper.

"Nuh uh not me." Barricade proclaimed as he took a few steps backwards "you can find someone else for your pit spawn to torment." The shock trooper quickly turned full about and made his way out of his sibling's quarters before he was talked into any future sparkling-sitting.

Both Prowl and Bumblebee watched Barricade leave before the scout glanced across to the tactician "I ought to let you put Bluestreak down to recharge." The yellow mech noticed the sparkling was just beginning to stir in the black and white mech's arms.

"Very well, good night." Prowl replied as he began gently rubbing small circles upon his creation's back plates as he watched Bumblebee make his way over to the exit "oh and Bumblebee, I should not concern yourself over the events that transpired today, you did well in recovering Bluestreak as quickly as you could and for that I'm grateful and hope that it hasn't put you off any future sparkling-sitting."

A small smile made it's way onto the scout's lip components "No sir."

"I'm glad to hear it." The tactician replied "will I be able to rely upon you tomorrow?"

Bumblebee hesitated for a moment as he pondered on whether he truly wanted to face another day of events like the ones that had occurred today, but then he told himself he would simply have to be more vigilant or drag an unsuspecting shock trooper into helping him keep watch. With his processor made up he addressed his superior "You can sir."

"Good, I'll see you at oh eight hundred tomorrow morning." Prowl told him.

The scout nodded in affirmation "Good night sir."

"Good night Bumblebee." The tactician responded in kind before he disappeared into Bluestreak's berth-room.

Bumblebee couldn't help but grin to himself as he palmed the pad on the wall and stepped into the corridor, he had to admit that watching over Bluestreak hadn't been all that bad and knew it was going to be a little easier tomorrow with someone else helping him. Now he had to somehow swindle the idea past Barricade and get the grumpy shock trooper to agree to assist him in watching over their most fragile but troublesome member of their family. However his systems were demanding that he recharge first.

_**A/N: **There maybe another one, but for now there are a couple of other fics that need completing, hopefully RL will be obliging enough to let me finish them._


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